Pain and Pride
by Morak120
Summary: Naruto, a boy who was beaten and broken by his best friend. Sakura, a girl who was heartbroken by her love. These two have always walked side by side, while only occasionally looking each other's way. Now life forces them to face each other, and change each other's lives forever. For better, or worse. A NaruSaku Story. Inspired by the Lonely Fox. Updated summary for plot changes
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it is owned by Masashi Kishimoto**

* * *

"NARUTOOO!"

"SASUKEEE!"

These words roared throughout the valley of the end. The sources coming from a blonde haired boy, bloody and beaten and cloaked in a red demonic essence; and a raven haired boy, with hand mutations coming out of his back, and a traitor to his home. They both stared at each other in rage as their hands began to glow with powerful chakra.

Sasuke held his arm as it began to crackle with dark chakra, smirking as he held it toward the blonde across the river. The whisker marks on the blonde's face only thickened, as his fangs grew sharper and sharper in his rage. His blood red eyes moved down to his hand, as the demonic chakra cloaking him formed a perfect orb in his hand, watching it spiral in its condensed shape. They both glared at each other, before lifting off from where each stood, flying in the air toward each other at blisteringly high speeds.

They threw their techniques forward, the only thing on their minds: **I MUST WIN!**

"CHIDORI!"

"RASENGAN!"

The techniques clashed and immediately exploded out, creating a swirling mass of power around them. That didn't stop them from having one final brawl in the eye of the storm. Naruto swiped at his would be friend, hoping to cripple the fool. Sasuke easily avoided the attack, swooping in and punching the blonde hard in the gut, causing him to stagger. Sasuke wasn't done yet, though... He continued his onslaught, punching Naruto in the gut repeatedly. He then kicked him in the face, sending him flying out of the torrent of power.

Naruto trembled as he laid in a heap, looking up as the torrent faded away, leaving Sasuke slowly descending toward him. Blood ran from the blonde's mouth, as his cloak left him. He was defenseless, and his body refused to move.

 _You damn demon! NOW you decide to stop helping me?!_ He shouted toward the demon within him, he heard nothing in response.

His eyes widened as he was picked up by the collar of his jacket, he stared down at the boy before him, his now cerulean eyes meeting Sasuke's yellow, snake like eyes. "W-Why don't you just get it over with, Sasuke...!" He growled out, coughing up blood. "I know you want me dead...! Just get it over with!" He told the raven haired traitor, fully accepting his fate.

Sasuke threw the blonde against the cliff side, his face engulfed in shadow. "No... There is no value in killing the likes of you..." He said to Naruto, throwing several kunai into the blonde's being, pinning him to the wall. "I know you secretly hold a hatred for me... Good... I want you to hate me, to detest me..." He said to him, before turning away. "That way, when we fight again... I'll actually take pleasure in killing you, Naruto..." He finished, slowly walking toward the forest. He then pulled off his forehead protector, and throwing it at Naruto's feet as he descended into the shadows.

Naruto gritted his teeth, as he looked down. "You... You were... My friend... You bastard..." He whispered, before falling unconscious.

Kakashi rushed through the forest, his eye narrowing as a bad feeling washed through him. "This is bad... We have to hurry!" He looked back at the pink haired girl behind him, who nodded in response.

"Yes, Sensei!" She agreed, picking up the pace, and following him closely.

Kakashi sighed inwardly, looking forward. He didn't want to bring Sakura, but she wouldn't back down.

 _"This is something I need to see, Sensei!" Sakura told her teacher, looking up at him with worry and determination. "I won't take no for an answer!" She finished, causing Kakashi to sigh heavily._

 _"I'm going to get such an earful for this..." He muttered, before looking back down at Sakura. "Fine, but you must stay by my side... No matter what." He ordered, as Sakura nodded in acceptance._

"Sensei..." Sakura started, causing her teacher to look back at her. "What... What do you think we'll see?..." She asked, almost grimly, before looking down.

Kakashi could only frown, before looking back. "I don't know, Sakura... But, I'm sure it'll be alright." He tried to reassure her, giving her an eye-smile.

Sakura smiled sadly, trying to stay positive. "Thank you, Sensei..." She thanked him, before blinking. "Sensei, I see a clearing!" She told him, causing the Jounin to look forward.

Kakashi's eye narrowed as they reached closer and closer. "We're here..." He told her, jumping out of the clearing and onto the rocky shore. He looked around, trying to find them. What he found, was a massive battlefield.

 _These two... How long were they fighting for, to cause this much damage?..._ He asked himself, as his eye caught sight of something yellow and orange. His pupil shrunk at what he saw.

"Sensei? Do you see anything?" She asked, as she began stepping out of the woods.

Kakashi's pupil stayed shrunk, before looking back at Sakura. "Sakura! Don't. Leave. The woods." He ordered her. Unfortunately, he was too late.

Sakura stepped out next to him, raising an eyebrow. "Huh? Why are you sayin..." She trailed off, her eyes meeting the sight he had laid his eye upon. Her pupils slowly shrunk as she began to process what she was seeing.

There were pools of blood everywhere by the water fall, torn bits of clothing, and the blonde himself. He was pinned against the cliff side, stabbed in several parts of his body with kunai, and blood was rushing from his body.

Sakura's pupils started to shake, as she started to breathe rapidly, her hands slowly going over her agape mouth. "N-N-N..." She could get the words out as she kept breathing rapidly as tears started running down her face. All she could do, was let out a blood curdling scream. "NARUTOOOO!" She screamed out, falling to her knees as her body trembled.

Kakashi immediately got down on a knee, holding Sakura by her shoulders. "Sakura, stay with me!" He told her, keeping her gaze focused on him. He started beating himself mentally, he never should have brought her.

Sakura looked at Kakashi, as she cried heavily. "B-B-But...!" She tried to choke out, as Kakashi looked back toward the blonde.

Kakashi sighed heavily. "Sakura, we don't know if he's dead, alright? Now stay...!" He trailed off as Sakura got out of his grip and rushed over to where Naruto was pinned down to.

"NARUTOO!"

* * *

The blonde's eyes slowly began to open, his vision was blurry and he felt heavy. He looked around at his surroundings, and he saw a white room. He groaned as his vision became clearer, he had an IV strapped to him, and his legs were in braces.

 _My head is killing me..._ He thought to himself, before noticing someone else in the room. Sakura was sleeping in a chair next to his bed. _Sakura-chan?..._ He thought in confusion.

"Sakura-chan?..." He said out loud, causing a stir from the pinkette. She slowly opened her eyes, and then they fully opened immediately at the sight.

Sakura's jaw quivered as she tried to keep herself together. "Naruto...! You're awake...!" She pointed out, smiling sadly as tears built in her eyes.

Naruto nodded slowly before looking down. "Y-Yeah, I am..." He said to her, staring down at his blanket. "...How long was I out?..." He asked her, judging from her reaction, it was longer than he would've wanted.

"A week." She told him, hugging herself in sadness. "Naru..."

"Ah, so you're awake." The two looked over to see the new Hokage walk into the room, as she looked down at the blonde.

Naruto stared at her for a minute, before looking down. "Baa-chan..." He said quietly, as he grabbed his bed sheets tightly.

Tsunade folded her arms, while looking at the boy. "So, you didn't recover Sasuke." She pointed out, causing Naruto to hang his head further. She then looked toward Sakura. "And you... You defied a direct order, and went with Kakashi to recover Naruto anyways." She pointed out, causing Sakura to bite her lower lip.

Tsunade sighed heavily, while looking at the pinkette. "I don't understand, why did you even bothe-"

"-I wanted to see Sasuke-kun for myself... I wanted to see if Naruto actually did it, and beat Sasuke-kun to bring him back..." She told Tsunade, admitting that the original reason was not for the blonde's sake.

Naruto stared at his bed with empty eyes, slowly letting go of his blanket. Silence filled the room, as Tsunade shook her head. "Well, you're not going without a punishment, Sakura. You will be unable to take the Chunin exam next year. Being a Chunin is not a simple task, and you need to show that you won't disobey a direct order, for such selfish reasons. Understand?" She ordered, causing the pinkette to sink further into her chair.

"...I understand." She said to the Godaime, her grip tightening on the chair.

Tsunade nodded, before looking at Naruto. "Good. Now then, Kakashi has already debriefed me, so all you need to do is rest. Got that, kid?" She asked Naruto, who could only nod silently in response. "Good... If you'll excuse me." She then walked out, closing the door behind her.

The two sat in silence, neither of them would look at each other. Sakura rubbed the back of her head, as she looked at Naruto. "Na..."

"I think you should go, as well... Sakura." He said to her, causing the pinkette's eyes to widen.

Sakura looked down, before standing up. "...If that's what you want..." She responded, before walking out, closing the door behind her.

Naruto laid back, staring up at the ceiling. His thoughts going back to his fight with Sasuke, remembering the words that Sasuke had said to him.

 _I want you to hate me, to detest me... He said... Why?..._ He thought to himself, a frown forming on his face. Why did Sasuke want Naruto to hate him? So there would be no remorse in their next fight? So they both could go all out?...

 _'I wanted to see Sasuke-kun for myself...'_ The blonde's eyes widened as Sakura's words, like a knife cutting deep into his heart.

 _She couldn't have just left it with the promise... She also had to see if I had actually done it, in order to believe it?..._ He asked himself, biting his lower lip.

 _Then staying at my bedside... Acting like she cares about me, I know Sasuke is her only priority..._ He thought sadly to himself.

Tears slowly built in the blonde's eyes, as the thought of nothing ever changing between him and Sakura left a hole in his gut. He wanted Sakura to be happy, she deserved it, but... He craved happiness as well, to hold the woman he loved... But he wouldn't. He wouldn't be happy. Sakura didn't love him, she loved Sasuke, and the dream of her ever looking toward the blonde haired boy was becoming more distant than ever before. Tears slowly ran down the boy's face, as his eyes began to glisten. "Why won't I ever learn..." He asked himself, gritting his teeth in a vain attempt to hold back the tears.

The blonde slowly raised his hand toward his face, covering his eyes. "I'm so stupid... To think that would ever change between us... That she... Would ever care...!" He told himself as he wept. "I'm such a god damn fool...!" He said to himself, crying into his hand.

Sakura was standing with her back against the door, her eyes wide at hearing Naruto's words.

 _No... No you're not, Naruto..._ She thought to herself, hugging herself tightly, before walking away.

* * *

 **Well that's a thing that happened!**

 **This is the first chapter of my newest story, Pain and Pride. A spiritual successor to The Lonely Fox!**

 **Now I have no idea how long this story will be, but it's gonna be angsty as fuuuuuck.**

 **I do understand that this is a short chapter, but this is more for setting up what's to come.**

 **Later!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, It is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.**

* * *

Night settled in the quiet streets of Konohagakure. The quiet streets receiving a gentle glow from the moon above, and a gentle breeze from the north. He was glad the streets were quiet, and not bustling with people like they usually were. He wanted the quiet, he craved for it. He stopped, and tugged on the sling that his arm was trapped in, hoping to adjust his arm to a more comfortable position.

 _I guess the bastard got lucky and hit a tendon on this arm... Guess I'll have to thank the damned fox for this, I wouldn't be able to use this arm anymore if he wasn't in me..._ Naruto begrudgingly told himself, taking note in why his left arm was healing so much slower than the rest of his limbs, which were now perfectly fine. Bruised, but fine otherwise. He breathed in slowly, taking in the summer air. The temperature dropped, along with the humidity, making his night one of comfort. Life was deciding to give him a break, apparently.

His eyes narrowed as he looked down, his right hand balling up into a fist. _Sakura didn't visit me once after that... In the remaining week I was in that damned hospital..._ He reminded himself bitterly, despite the lack of emotion on his face. He was tired... Tired of her, maybe? He didn't know for certain.

 _I hope I'm not turning into that bastard... I don't want to be like him..._ He told himself, his eyes making their way toward Ichiraku's as he walked. He felt his stomach growl, he wanted to satiate his bitter mood with a good meal. So he decided to indulge that feeling. He walked toward the building, and moved one of the curtains aside. "Hey there, old man!" He greeted the owner, smiling brightly, in spite of his mood.

Teuchi looked toward Naruto, laughing loudly as his ever existing smile only grew wider. "Well, if it isn't my favorite customer! I'm glad to see you've recovered safe and sound!" He told the boy, relieved to see him okay.

"Ehh? Naruto's here?" Said a voice from the back, as a young woman walked over to Teuchi. "Hey there, kid!" She greeted, a bright smile forming on her face.

Naruto laughed a bit as he sat down at the stool. "Hi, Ayane-neechan!" He returned her greeting with one of his own, before looking back at Teuchi. "Old man, give me the biggest bowl of pork ramen you can! All I've eaten in the last week is hospital food!" He told him, a mock pout forming on his face.

Teuchi laughed, walking over to prepare the meal. "After hearing that? Of course I will!" He told the boy, starting up the stove again.

*Burp*

 _Oh god..._ He thought, rubbing his full stomach as he slowly walked home. "I think I ate too much..." He admitted to himself, his appetite not being all there from how much blood he had lost 2 weeks before. "Maybe I should've listened to Baa-chan..." He muttered quietly, before shaking his head. "No way! Ramen is worth it!" He told himself, the nausea leaving him as his love for the delicious meal returned.

A sudden yawn escaped his mouth, as he made his way up the stairs to his apartment. "Guess I'll just go to bed... Not like I can do much with this busted up arm..." He muttered in annoyance to himself, as he pulled his keys out of his pocket. His body suddenly jolted, as pain shot through his spine. He had forgotten that his back wasn't in great shape either, from when Sasuke slammed him into the cliff side. The sudden jolt made him drop his keys on the ground.

His eyes narrowed as he stared at them. "So much for my nice night..." He muttered bitterly as he tried to reach down for them, only for his pupils to shrink as more pain shot through his back. He yelped as he leaned back, panting heavily as he stared down at the keys. "Aw come on... I can't even pick up a god damn set of keys?!" He yelled in frustration, only to blink when he saw a pale hand grab his keys from off the ground.

He looked up, his eyes widening as he saw Sakura standing in front of him, keys in hand and staring at him with no real emotion on her face. His face formed a grimace as he looked down, slowly walking past her as he took his keys out of her hands. "...Thanks..." He said begrudgingly as he walked to his door, though, limping would be a better way to put it.

Sakura looked back, as sadness washed over her. Seeing Naruto go from such a postive ray of happiness and determination to someone so... Pitiable... Of course, she wasn't thinking this as a way to insult the boy, rather... She was worried. "Naruto..." She called out to him, hoping to get his attention.

Sadly, he did not respond as he unlocked the door to his house and started to walk inside. Determined to talk to the boy, Sakura rushed over, and held the door open right as he was about to close it. Naruto's eyes glanced up from the ground, to look at hers. He tried to push back, but his weakened state wouldn't allow him to fight back. "...What do you want?..." He gave in, asking her as he let go of the door.

Sakura stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "I wanted to talk to you." She told him, looking at his hallway. "May I come in?" She asked, hoping at this point he would say yes. All she got was a silent nod. She kicked off her shoes and stepped into his house, and... It wasn't that clean. It was alright, sure, but... It could've looked a hell of a lot better. She looked back at Naruto, who was slowly making his way into the living room. Sakura bit her lower lip at the sight, before smiling softly. "Do you want me to get you anything?... You look like you still need time to heal..." She asked, hoping he would accept her offer.

"I'm fine..." He told her, before sitting down on his sofa. Sakura pulled up a chair, and sat down in front of him. This way she could get a better look at him. His eyes were tired, void of emotion, rather than being full of life and bright. He had bags under his eyes, showing a lack of sleep, and his lips were dry. He was dehydrated.

"I'm going to get you water." Sakura told him, getting up and walking toward his kitchen. She opened up a couple of his cabinets before finding a glass. She then walked over and started filling it up with water.

"S-Sakura-chan, you don't have to..." He started, only to see her give him a hard stare.

That hard stare turned into a friendly smile, as she gripped the glass tighter. "You haven't been keeping yourself hydrated, which means your body is recovering slower than usual..." She told him, as she finished filling the glass. She brought it over to him, putting his hand on the glass. "I'm not going to let you handle your body irresponsibly... Even if you do heal fast..." She told him, keeping her arms folded.

Naruto stared down at the water, his eyes narrowing before he took a sip. "Is that care that I hear in your voice?..." He asked her, his voice not showing any emotion in particular.

Sakura huffed, her eyes never leaving his. "Of course I care." She told him, blinking as she heard a snort from the blonde.

Naruto chuckled, almost pathetically as a hollow of a smirk appeared on his face. "That's a first..." He told her, his eyes meeting hers. He saw a look of surprise on her face. "Hell, I'm surprised you haven't taken a shot at my skull. Go for it, I want my concussion to get worse..." He goaded her, his eyes still void of emotion.

Sakura's pupils shrunk as she her mouth somewhat fell open. "W-What?... Naruto, I wouldn't do that!" She told him, her eyes still widened, only widening more as the blonde laughed again.

"YOU wouldn't do that?..." He asked rhetorically, slamming his glass down on the table next to the arm of the couch. "Don't give me that shit... And all of this... This act? I want none of it..." He told her, his face slowly forming a scowl as he glared at her.

The pink haired girl slowly started to grit her teeth. "Act?..." Her eyebrows furrowed as she glared at him. "You think that I'm pretending to care about you?" She hissed through her teeth, offended by Naruto's words. Where was all of this coming from?

Naruto stood up, and started to walk away, before getting grabbed by the forearm. "Hold on! I want you to answer my question, Naruto!" She ordered him, now standing and glaring at him. Her pupils slowly began to shrink as he started to look back at her, the first time he showed emotion to her that night... And it was a look of rage, and sadness.

Naruto gritted his teeth, while his eyes pierced through hers. "Of course I think that! Of course I think you're lying to me! I'm guessing Kakashi-Sensei sent you, that's the only explanation as to why you suddenly give two fucks about me!" He concluded, his pupils slowly shrinking as his rage slowly started to wash over him. It made sense, right? Sakura could never care about him. Sasuke was her only prerogative.

His jaw tensed as his eyes narrowed. "I know you haven't suddenly changed. What you said to Baa-chan is confirmation enough... Coming to the scene of the fight between me and Sasuke, not out of concern for my safety, but to see if I actually held up to my promise! The fact that you doubted me... That alone is more than enough proof that you don't care... That you don't know me..." He told her, watching as she began to hang her head.

Sakura's lips thinned, before she began to speak. "You're right... I had doubts... I was so worried that you couldn't do it, that I had to go, to ease my worries..." She admitted, biting her lower lip as the truth slipped out of her so easily. She took a deep breath, while slowly letting go of his arm.

 _What is wrong with me?..._ She asked herself, her lip quivering. _How can I know so little about someone I've spent so much time with?..._ She asked again, hearing a snort from her inner self.

 _ **Because you spent so much time ogling Sasuke-kun. Wanting nothing more than to be with him, and being content with only that.**_ She said to her outer self, scoffing all the while. _**Besides, giving a thought to Naruto doesn't mean much, when you were bawling your eyes out about Sasuke-kun these last two weeks!**_ She shouted at herself, growling all the while.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek, as every word her inner self said rung too true. She hated how true it was. _But... I do care about Naruto..._ She said to herself.

 _ **Then prove it! Because all I've seen so far, is someone who's only guilty because Naruto almost DIED for your promise!**_ Inner shouted, finishing her point.

Sakura was about to say something, but heard Naruto scoff, before taking a step away from her. "You know... I bet that if Sasuke was there, and we were both a bloody mess, and only inches away from death... You would've gone to his side, disregarding me completely..." He spoke out, glaring down at her. "So long as he was by your side, my death wouldn't matter to you, would it?..." He asked her, his eyes slowly turning red and gaining a canine-like appearance.

Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at the ground, as her mind tried to process what he just said to her. Her pupils shook as all the light left them, leaving her in a daze. _What... Did he..._ She asked herself, as her vision began to blur. It was like a rug was swiped from beneath her feet, as the realization of what he said hit her like a ton of bricks. The fact that this was Naruto was truly thinking, and that he decided that's how SHE thought...

Naruto's whiskers slowly began to thicken as he growled lowly. "I'm right, aren't I?!" He shouted at her.

Sakura's pupils shrunk as anger surged through her being like a bolt of lightning. Her body started to move before she even knew what was happening. In the blink of an eye, she swung her hand out.

 _*SLAP!*_

Naruto's eyes widened greatly, as they returned back to their blue color. The slap echoed throughout the apartment, as his eyes looked down toward her. His pupils shrunk further at what he saw.

Sakura was panting heavily, as a scowl formed on her face. Tears were running down her cheeks and her face was a faint tint of red. "You... You shut your mouth this instant..." She told him, as she gritted her teeth. Her pupils were still shrunk as she walked over to him slowly, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. "You're a real son of a bitch, if you think that I don't care! Not after everything that's happened!" She shouted at him, her voice peaking as she shouted. She had had enough. Enough of Naruto's inane behavior, enough of him assuming how she felt about him. Everything.

Her tears fell at a further rate, as she hiccuped, her scowl never fading. "Yeah! I went to the battlefield to find Sasuke-kun! You know what I did find?" She asked rhetorically, her face moving closer to his. "YOU! I found you hanging against the wall, on the edge of death!" She shouted further, as her eyebrows creased upwards, and her eyes welling up further. "Seeing what Sasuke-kun did to you... How he treated you, after all that you two went through... I didn't care that he wasn't there anymore, dammit!" She screamed, as even more tears flowed from her eyes. "I was so scared that you were dead! I was so scared that I had lost you! That our promise was your death sentence!" She cried out, letting go of him as she put a hand over her eyes.

Naruto was stunned at this sight, his mouth open slightly as he stared at her crying heavily. Sakura wept in her hand, before looking up at him. "Yeah... I treated you like shit, not even 3 weeks ago... But did it ever occur to you in all that god damn brooding, that I had changed?..." She asked him, as she sniffled.

The blonde grimaced, looking down before shaking his head. A scoff escaped Sakura's lips, as she looked at him in almost disbelief. "Wow..." She uttered in surprise, wiping her eyes as the tears kept flowing. "You always talk about how people can change... You always find a way to see the good in people... But you lost that faith in me?... Because of one thing I said?..." She asked him, but before he could answer, she started to walk to the door. "Then forget about that promise... Forget about me... I won't get in your way anymore..." She told him sadly, as she slowly walked to the door.

Naruto's pupils shrunk, as her words knocked the wind out of him. He panted heavily as he looked toward her, as the consequences of his selfishness... It all started to rise to the surface.

He didn't mean for this! He didn't want this! He was just upset... He was hurt. He felt like there was no chance for Sakura to truly care about him, like he cared for her. He yearned for her attention, even just once, and when he finally saw that even after all that he had done for her, her reasons for going to see the fight, were purely for Sasuke. It hurt him...

 **But does that justify your inane selfishness?...** A dark, disturbing voice filled his mind, he knew it too well.

 _You..._ He whispered in his mind, he was not happy to hear _his_ voice.

 **Oh? You don't want to hear what I have to say, brat?...** A laugh echoed from the voice, as it continued. **You were too selfish... You allowed your feelings to cloud your judgement, and because of that... Look what's happened? You're pushing away the very person who you felt push you away, despite her trying to show how much she cares.** The voice pointed out to Naruto, as cackling surged from the being **HAHAHAHAA! Oh how I love the sweet irony! The pain your feeling, only comforts me as I rest in this cell...** The voice said mockingly to the blonde, as he felt its presence fade.

Naruto hung his head, as a shadow formed over his eyes. The fox was right... He hated to admit it, but it was. He dug his hand into the wall, as he grimaced. He had been so god damn selfish... So petty! It took Sakura trying to cut all ties with him, for her to bawl her eyes out because of him, in order to see how petty he was being.

His eyes narrowed, he could beat himself up later. He had to fix this! "Sakura-chan..." He called out to her, she didn't respond. He then looked at her. "Sakura-chan!" He shouted, causing her to look at him. Her eyes were red and puffy, the crying didn't stop, so they weren't crocodile tears. She was serious. He looked down, his hands balling into fists. "I don't hate you..." He told her quietly, his fists trembling.

Sakura laughed, almost pathetically, before looking down. "Awesome... I'm not hated..." She muttered sadly.

Naruto grimaced as he walked over, grabbing her arm. "No! I just..." He trailed off, he clearly wasn't sure how to say what he wanted to say. "I don't want you to leave my life, Sakura-chan..." He told her, looking her dead in the eye. His mouth trembled, as he feared what he would say next. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but... I was acting that way, because... I thought you hated me... And I couldn't bear that... Not after my friend stabbed me in the back..." He told her, not daring to say Sasuke's name.

Sakura's look softened, as the tears slowed a little. "Naruto... I don't hate you. I know I said that when we first joined team 7, but... I've changed since then!" She told him, trying to put on a smile through her tears.

Naruto nodded, looking down. "It doesn't justify how I acted toward you... I was being rude, stupid, petty... I'm so sorry..." He apologized, his grip on her arm loosening. Sakura took her arm back, rubbing it softly.

The pinkette wiped her eyes, as her tears finally stopped. "I forgive you... I'm sorry I slapped you..." She apologized as well, looking at his slap mark.

Naruto shook his head, rubbing the slap mark. "Don't apologize... I deserved it." He admitted, staring into her eyes. There was a long silence after that, neither of them knowing what to say each other as they stared into each others eyes.

Sakura was now able to see just how blue Naruto's eyes were. They were like the crystal blue waters of the ocean, so serene and full of life... At least, now they were.

After realizing how long she had been staring at him, and that things were starting to get awkward, Sakura looked down. "W-Well... I think I should go now..." She said to him, not really sure what to say anymore... In fact, they pretty much said everything that was needed to be said. She grabbed her shoes, slipping them on and reached for the door. Just as she started to twist the doorknob.

"I love you, Sakura-chan..." He confessed to her, causing Sakura to immediately look back at him.

Her pupils were as tiny as dots, as she stared at him.

"...What?"

* * *

WOOOOoooooooo! So who here thinks this confession is actually going to go well?

So while it seems like I got most of the angst out... There will be more. It's not hard, they're teenagers that have had shitty pasts.

Oh! And while Naruto and Sakura are the main characters, Sakura is the main main character. (Would that be the protagonist? I could never remember) Anywho, just thought I'd get that out in the open.

Later!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it is owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Shueisha**

 **So... This took longer than intended.**

* * *

"I love you, Sakura-chan."

Time had officially stopped, as Sakura's grip on the door handle tensed. She stared at the door in shock, her pupils trembling as they slowly widened, and her mouth slowly opened. Her lower lip quivered as his words echoed in her mind, almost hauntingly so as her pupils slowly made their way towards him.

 _W-What did he?..._

It felt like an eternity had passed as she turned her body to look toward him. Her emerald eyes met with crystal blue orbs, before her pink bangs got in front of her eyes. Her mouth was left agape as she stared at the blonde in shock.

A million thoughts began racing through the young girl's mind, as she stared at the blonde. A part of her thought about getting the hell out of there, but it was as though her feet were glued to the floor. She couldn't move at all as she tried to budge her frozen legs; she was trapped in her own shock. She couldn't even begin to process what the boy had said to her. Did he even realize the weight of what he said? Could he even comprehend it? Because it was sure as hell difficult for her!

She held a fist to her chest, as she stared at him. "...What?" She finally asked, her question was almost a whisper as her wide eyed gaze was locked on him. In retrospect not a great first question, but it was all she could utter in that moment.

Naruto blinked, while staring at her in confusion. "What what?" He answered with his own question, not really sure what she was asking. His eyes widened as the pinkette suddenly let go of the door handle, and stomped toward him; getting rather close to the boy. Her wide green eyes stared into his as a shocked and... Almost scared look showed in her emerald orbs.

She shook her head, as a frustrated look formed on her face. "You know what! What did you just say?!" She asked desperately, staring at the blonde so intensely you could've seen a hole burning through his head. She needed to know she wasn't hearing things, she was afraid to be right.

 _ **But why are you afraid?**_ Inner asked herself, causing the pinkette to inwardly fume at her inner self. She knew, yet had the gall to ask anyways.

 _You know why!_ She shouted inwardly, still staring at the blonde. She waited for the answer to come out of his blonde's mouth, confusion plastered on his face. She both loved and hated this side of him, right now it was neither, it was just frustrating.

Naruto thought about what he said for a moment, his eyes widening as it occurred to him what he had said to her. He looked to the side, his mouth pursing a bit. He didn't want to say it, not again. He looked back at Sakura, only to see that desperation in her eyes once again. He then looked down. "I said I love you, Sakura-chan..." He admitted, not looking her in the eye.

It felt like his world was spinning around him. He would've never imagined his confession to Sakura was going to be like this! Accidentally saying it in a vain attempt to prevent her from leaving... How pathetic. He didn't even realize what he said, but the pinkette sure as hell did. She even needed to hear it a second time to make sure she wasn't hearing things. Now he has to wait to see what she says, and he knows it'll be nothing good.

Of course it'll be bad... she loves Sasuke, not him. A confession means nothing if the feelings are one sided, and nothing he could say right now will magically make her love him. Why would it anyways? Sakura had made it perfectly clear in the past that she had no feelings for him, so why did he continue with this? Was he just that desperate for her affections? Or was it his stubbornness that prevented him from giving up on his pointless chase? It might have been both, for all he knew. All he could do now, was close his eyes and wait for the punch, or for the harsh words to come.

"Ha... haha..." The blonde opened his eyes as a small, pathetic laugh echoed from the pinkette as she held her fist against the blonde's chest. Her fist trembled as she hung her head, not looking at him. Her pink locks veiled her, preventing him from being able to see her face.

The blonde stared down at her in genuine surprise. This wasn't at all what he was expecting. "Sakura-chan?... Are... you okay?..." He asked in concern, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Sakura flinched slightly at his touch. "...You're cruel, Naruto." She said to him, lightly hitting his chest with her fist. "I lost Sasuke-kun after he rejected my feelings... I almost lost you to him... then you come so close to pushing me away, only to tell me you love me?..." She asked rhetorically, her trembling and quiet voice escaping her chapped lips. Her whole body was now trembling as her other fist was now resting on his chest.

The blonde was at a loss for words. He had no idea what to say to her, or if he _should_ say anything. His pupils could only shrink at what he saw next. She looked up at him, her eyes were big and red; her emerald orbs glistening from the light. Her cheeks were wet as tears rolled down her face at a surprising rate, as her jaw quivered. She was crying even harder than before, as the blonde's eyebrows creased upwards at the sight. The image of such a broken woman was... petrifying.

Sakura let out another pathetic laugh, before hiccuping through her tears. "You're... cruel..." She choked out, pressing her head against his chest. "...Is this your way of making fun of me being rejected?... Is this to get back at me for all the times I rejected you?..." She asked, her voice muffled from his jacket.

Naruto froze as he stared down at the weeping girl. Her heartbroken state, being fueled by his words was like a stab to the heart. "N-No, Sakura-chan... I didn't..." He trailed off, as Sakura shook her head.

The Pinkette gritted her teeth, as the tears flowed at a greater rate. "I don't believe you! There's... no other reason..." She weeped into his jacket. "Because you can't love me... you can't..." She tried to convince him, and herself. She didn't want to believe he loved her. She didn't want him to even consider loving her.

 _ **Because you can't accept it? Or because he shouldn't accept you?**_ Inner asked the pinkette.

Sakura bawled into the bewildered blonde's chest, her voice raspy as her throat strained from her cries. The boy was silent as he tried to wrap his head around what was happening. Why was Sakura so shaken by his confession? Was it just the timing, or was there more to it? Did Sasuke rejecting her before leaving, deal such a heavy blow to her that any confession sent her way would send her into a downward spiral?

 _That has to be it. There can't be any other reason..._ The boy thought, while gazing down at the crying girl. His face fell from a confused gaze, to a heavy frown as the information sunk in. In the end, it was all about Sasuke. Again. He stared at her for a long while before wrapping his hand around her waist; pulling her into an embrace.

 _At the very least... I can be there for her..._ He thought to himself bitterly, as his eyes welled up slightly.

The hunched pinkette felt the blonde's embrace, causing her to jump a bit as she stared up at the blonde. All she found was Naruto's sad, almost defeated gaze staring back at her. Her eyes could only well up further, as she pressed her face into the crook of his neck. "You... Idiot...!" She choked out, crying harder than ever before in the boy's arm.

Naruto held the pinkette close, running his hand along her back soothingly, while resting his chin lightly on her head. He took a deep breath, swallowing his own feelings for this moment. His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the door, he felt... angry. Angry at himself, angry at Sakura, and especially...

 _Sasuke..._ He thought in anger, his arms tensing slightly. The thought of Sasuke turning away from Sakura in spite of her pleading for him to stay, and professing her love to him... It made his blood boil in rage. He stared down at the trembling pinkette while rubbing her back softly; she felt so... fragile. _You're one hell of an idiot, Sasuke..._ He thought to himself.

* * *

 _I'm such an idiot..._ The pinkette thought to herself, sniffling while sitting on the blonde's couch. She looked down at his coffee table, her eyebrows furrowing at all the tissues she had spent trying to calm herself down. Her gaze then turned to the half empty tissue box. _Why am I just sitting here, bawling my eyes out?... What the hell is wrong with me..._ She thought in self deprecation, feeling almost shameful in her behavior.

The pinkette balled her hands up into fists as she rested them on her lap; all the while keeping her gaze down toward the table. She knew her reaction to Naruto's confession was... inappropriate. Oh who was she kidding? It was downright terrible! _Who the hell breaks down into a total mess of tears, after being confessed to?! Maybe if it was tears of joy... but not this._ She thought to herself, as guilt washed over her being. She looked over at the blonde in the kitchen, while gnawing on her bottom lip. _What if he took it the wrong way?... Oh wait, ANYONE would take that the wrong way! I even called him cruel for confessing to me!_ An inaudible gasp escaped the pinkette's being, as she covered her face with her hands.

 _ **Well... That's not good.**_ Inner pointed out, as Sakura shook her head violently.

 _Dammit! I didn't mean it in a bad way! When I said cruel, I meant because it felt like my emotions were being played with..._ She trailed off, hearing a sigh escape from her inner self.

 _ **That sounds pretty bad, even while understanding what you mean.**_ Inner told Sakura, as the pinkette groaned into her hands.

"Um... Sakura-chan?" Naruto's voice called out to her, snapping the pinkette out of her thoughts. Sakura looked up from her hands at a very confused blonde, who was holding a coffee mug. "Are you okay? You were acting kind of weird there." He pointed out, slight concern showing on his face.

Sakura, now realizing she was both mentally and physically freaking out, immediately looked down. She felt her face heating up, turning a dark shade of pink as her pupils shrunk. "I-It's nothi-" She stuttered, biting her tongue. The silence of the apartment was filled with the echoes of her moaning in pain.

Naruto blinked, as he set the mug down on the coffee table, then sat down on the couch next to her. This was all rather new to the blonde, seeing Sakura in such a... Silly light. "Are you sure you're alright?" He asked, leaning over a bit to look her in the eye.

Sakura's blush was still very much there, as she glanced at him. Their eyes only met for a moment, before she looked away again. "Just... trying to keep my embarrassment to a minimum for tonight..." She muttered, taking the mug in her hands. "...Thanks..." She thanked him, almost cutely so as she took a sip of the hot tea. It was especially soothing on her now sore tongue.

Silence filled the air, as the pinkette kept sipping on her tea; all the while the blonde watched her. He was almost caught in a daze by her features. The pink blush on her cheeks, her soft looking lips pressed against the mug, and her emerald orbs staring gently down at the hot drink. She was absolutely stunning to him.

Meanwhile, Sakura's eyebrows began to furrow in frustration. The silence was starting to get to her, and she hated every second of it. "Well? Are you going to say anything?" She asked the blonde curtly, as she set the mug down. This snapped Naruto out of his gaze, as he blinked rapidly.

"H-Huh?" He asked, before making an 'oh' sound. He closed his eyes, and began to think. "Hmm... why did you say I was cruel?" He asked almost immediately, as Sakura stared at him.

The pinkette looked down, grimacing slightly. "Because it felt like my emotions were being toyed with... After everything you said that point, it felt like you were just about done with my horrid behavior, and then you pop out a confession?... How did you expect me to react? And especially after!..." She trailed off, looking down as she bit her lower lip. "...After Sasuke rejected me..." She finished with a whisper, silence filling the room once again.

Naruto sighed heavily, looking toward the ground. "I see..." He muttered, his voice heavy and filled with several emotions, none of them sounding good.

Sakura immediately turned to the blonde, her eyes big as she caught the emotion in his voice. "Naruto... I care about you, a lot more than I used to... and you're a great guy! But..." She trailed off, taking in a deep breath as she quickly collected her thoughts. "...You can't expect me to accept your feelings, so soon after being rejected." She finished, hoping Naruto would understand.

Naruto grimaced, before nodding slowly. "...Yeah... I understand..." He responded quietly, before getting up. He then looked over at his window, and the thermometer attached to it. He then looked back at her, his expression suddenly much brighter than before. "Jeez, it's getting cold out! I'll lend you my jacket for the trip home." He told her, as he walked over and grabbed it off a chair.

Sakura watched the blonde the whole way. She may not have known the blonde as well as she should, but she could tell when someone was badly trying to hide their true feelings; this was a clear case of it. Of course, she couldn't tell how often he would do this, she just knew that this was a terrible attempt. She got up and walked over, taking his jacket from his hand. "Thank you, Naruto." She thanked him, putting on his jacket and walking toward the door.

She felt terrible about turning him down, and knew the feeling of being rejected all to well. The pinkette bit her lip, as she put her hand on the door handle. A thought rushed into her mind, an idea. One that would prove all too lethal if it failed... she'd have to be an idiot to even consider it!

"...One week." She suddenly said, causing the blonde to blink. She turned to look back at him, her face slightly flushed as she gave him an intense stare. "Confess to me again in one week..." She told him, her pupils shaking as she kept her gaze locked on him.

Naruto stared at the pinkette, baffled at her words as he took a step forward. "W-What? Sakura-chan, do you even realize what you're asking me?" He asked her, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

Sakura nodded, as she gripped the door handle tightly, as her hand shook. "I do. I want you to try it again... I want you to confess to me again in a week. 7 days." She stated further, her lip now quivering as anxiousness rushed through her being.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, the sadness he felt earlier now gone, as he looked on in confusion. "...Why?" He asked her, hoping to get a clear answer.

The pinkette calmed down a bit, taking in a deep breath as she closed her eyes. She then smiled warmly at the blonde, her eyes fluttering open. "Because a second chance can mean everything..." She told him, opening his door and stepping out; shivering as she zipped up his jacket.

Naruto stepped toward the door way, looking out at her. "...One week?" He asked her, no longer able to see her in the darkness of the night.

"One week!" She shouted, fading into the darkness in the night. As she did, her smile fell to a grimace.

 _ **I think you're the cruel one, Sakura...**_

* * *

The pinkette stepped into her room, flipping the power switch and watching her room light up. As the light came on, a pout could be seen on the thirteen year old's lips. Her pout slowly turned into a frown as she groaned loudly in frustration, rubbing her hair violently.

 _Smooth move, me! Why do I have to be such a dumb ass sometimes?!_ She shouted inwardly, sighing loudly as she took off his coat and tossed it on her chair, before sitting down on her bed. She stared down at the ground while embracing herself, her eyes narrowing. "I should have left it there... It would have saved us both some pain..." She muttered to herself, as bitterness filled her being.

Sakura could only grimace as Naruto's image flashed in her mind; she shook her head instinctively as her embrace tightened. "Stop it...! Stop putting him in my mind...! I don't want to see it...! I don't want to see his smile...!" She begged herself, as her vision started to blur. Her bottom lip quivered as big tears built up in her eyes, and began sliding down her cheeks one by one. "Please, stop... I don't... I don't wanna think about how I hurt him...!" She pleaded to herself, her words broken up by her hiccups as her tears fell at a greater rate. Her pleads fell on deaf ears, as the image of his sad, defeated smile flashed in her mind.

 _Sakura-chan..._ His voice echoed in her mind. That smile, and his words haunted her mind as she wept into her hands. "I don't wanna hear it...!" She choked out, her emotions poured out of her like a rushing waterfall.

Sakura gritted her teeth, as she tried to stop the wave of tears rushing from her being. Why did she feel this way? Why did Naruto's confession fill her with such grief? ** _You know why._** Inner answered, all the while huffing at the pinkette's crying state. ** _You're still heartbroken from Sasuke-kun, and all you want is to be loved._** _**Then comes Naruto, an idiot who gets himself into trouble all the time, and does stupid things to get your attention...**_ She trailed off, as an echo of a smile showed on Sakura's lips, her expression hidden in shadow.

 ** _Thing is... It worked._ ** Inner said, taking in a deep breath. **_And you know this. You know how much he cares for you, and that desperate side of you wants to take that love he wants to so desperately give you._** She finished, as Sakura's bottom lip trembled. Her crying slowed, but her anguish remained.

 _But I can't... I don't love him..._ She said to herself, her fingers digging into her arms. Saying that almost felt like a stab to the heart, as she continue to weep.

 _ **Then why bother giving him a second chance... Why did you lie?**_ Inner asked her, as the realization slammed into Sakura like a ton of bricks. Why she felt this way, why Naruto's image was haunting her mind.

It was guilt. She lied to him. About why she rejected his feelings, about why she was giving him a second chance... It was all for her own god damn selfishness. "I've been playing with his emotions this whole time..." She choked out, staring wide eyed at the floor. Her tears slowed, as she wiped her eyes. She didn't have it in her to cry anymore, most of her sadness was replaced with shock. Her pupils shrunk as she ran a hand through her hair. "Good god, what is wrong with me...?!" She asked, her voice peaking as she stared at the ground.

 ** _Not like you can do much about it now... The damage is already done. Now you have to live with it._** Inner told her, as Sakura got up off her bed.

Sakura slowly walked over to the blonde's jacket, running her hand along it. "I'm a terrible friend... I'm a terrible person..." She muttered to herself, as she picked the jacket up off her chair. She stared longingly at it, running her hand along the fabric. It was worn down, but it still looked nice. It was clear that Naruto took good care of his clothes.

 _It smells like him..._ She thought to herself, as she put it on. She liked that it was big on her, despite her being taller than the blonde. She felt warm...

 ** _You really want to return that love, don't you?..._** Inner asked sadly, as Sakura laid down on her bed again.

Sakura stared up at the ceiling, her eyes closing slightly as she thought back to his confession. "I do... I want to so much, if nothing else, than to see the joy it would give him..." She responded, smiling softly at the thought of the boy jumping for joy, shouting at the top of his lungs in glee before hugging the pinkette as tightly as he possibly could. Whenever Naruto was happy... it was almost like the world felt that happiness, and made the day just that much better.

 ** _Well... Maybe in a week, you won't be tooting the same horn you are now._** Inner said to her, causing the pinkette to blink in confusion.

Sakura sat up, looking at the wall. "What're you talking about? Are you seriously saying that I may fall in love with him during this week?!" She half shouted at herself, shocked that her inner self would even consider such a ridiculous notion.

 ** _Well maybe not fall in love, but might at least have feelings for him._** She responded, as the pinkette fell back on her bed.

Sakura reached her hand up, staring at it as the idea rushed through her being. "Having feelings... For Naruto..." She muttered, her hand falling to her side. Her eyes slowly started to flutter close, as the thought and the warmth of his jacket started to soothe her. "Liking... Naruto..." She muttered tiredly, as she closed her eyes completely.

 _Maybe that wouldn't be so bad..._

* * *

So... Are these chapters short to you guys? I feel like they're kinda short.

But anyways, I'm really sorry this chapter took so long. I had an original draft ready to go! Then I took a second look at it, and it felt so... Half assed.

Anyways, so yeah, Sakura gave Naruto a second chance! Will it work?!

Welp, later!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it's owned by masashhhh... Mafash... Fuck it.**

 **You know I should really stop taking these long breaks, it makes me forget where I'm going with plot ideas. Any who! Let's wing it!**

* * *

A light peeked it's way through the pink curtains of the young woman's bedroom, slowly illuminating as the sun made it's way over the horizon. The soft glow helped to brighten the already bright colors of the room, as the light made it's way to the slumbering girl. The light tickled and warmed her cheeks as her eyes slowly fluttered open, her vision blurry while she stirred from slumber.

 _ACHOO!_

The young girl sneezed, the sound echoing in the room as she rubbed her nose messily. "Why is it so cold in here?..." She asked herself tiredly, as her eyes lazily looked around her bedroom. She swung her legs off her bed as she rubbed her eye, a yawn escaping her dry lips. "Been a while since I slept so well..." She muttered to herself as she got up, stretching her still waking limbs.

She slowly made her way to the thermometer in her room, all the while yawning away her drowsiness. "My AC is on full blast, huh?..." She asked herself tiredly as she tried turning it off, only to find it not responding to her input. "Well great... It's stuck on this setting... Guess I'll have to let Dad know." She grumbled as she made her way to the bathroom.

The pinkette turned the knob of her shower, hearing the water screech from the shower head. As she disrobed, she looked over at herself in the mirror as her expression saddened somewhat.

 _ **What's that face about? You getting upset over how you look again?**_ Inner chimed in, knocking the young girl out of her trance.

She shook her head before stepping into the shower, sighing in relief at the warm water. "No, that's not it... I'm just wondering why I'm bothering to get ready for the day, when I have nothing to prepare for?" She asked herself, as she let the water run down her face. "I'm on temporary probation from missions, Kakashi-sensei is busier than ever, then there's..." She trailed off, all the while rubbing her arm in frustration.

She didn't want to say his name, she didn't want to be reminded of what she did the night before. She leaned against the wall of the shower; sighing heavily. "...Then there's Naruto." She finally finished, staring down at the shower floor.

After she finished washing up, she started drying off and brushing her hair in front of the mirror. "I mean... I manipulated him, albeit by accident, but still... I gave him an empty promise..." She chastised herself, as she finished brushing her hair.

Throwing on her new clothes, she stepped out of the bathroom and looked down at his jacket, sprawled out and wrinkly on her bed. "Not only did I give him a terrible excuse for turning down his confession, I gave him an open invitation to get rejected again..." She continued, gently picking up his jacket and folding it neatly.

A grimace formed on Sakura's face, as she stared down at the jacket. "All of it, for what? For some asinine attempt at getting the love I never got from Sasuke-kun. I'm just _using_ Naruto... Haha, how fucked up is that?" She asked herself bitterly, her bottom lip quivering as she ran her hand along the fabric of his folded jacket.

A scoff could be heard from her Inner self. _**Would you stop beating yourself up? If you were truly using him, you wouldn't be chastising yourself right now.**_ She explained to the pinkette who threw on her shoes and opened her porch door.

Her grip tightened on the folded jacket as she stepped out onto the deck. "Regardless of whether or not I intended to, I still did it... I still manipulated him." She retorted, closing the door, then jumping off the porch onto one of the many rooftops.

 _ **Fine then, keep beating yourself up and keep being miserable.**_ Inner fumed, clearly getting tired of Sakura's pity party.

Sakura looked down in silence as she touched down on the road, her grip tightening further on Naruto's jacket. "Damn girl, you could crush someone's neck with a grip like that." A voice pointed out, causing Sakura to turn immediately to the source of the voice.

"I-Ino?!" She half shouted as she looked at the approaching blonde, clearly not expecting to see her.

The platinum blonde haired girl stood in front of Sakura, while putting a hand on her hip. "Good to see you too, forehead." She said jokingly, as she looked toward her shop. "You gonna stand there with such a heavy stare? Or are you gonna come inside?" She asked the pinkette, who could only blink in response.

Sakura's head slowly turned to where her friend was looking, blinking all the while. "Come insi...? Oh." She trailed off, staring at the flower shop in front of her. She followed Ino inside the shop as her mind started racing a bit.

 _Did I... Did I instinctively come here? Naruto's apartment isn't in this direction, not completely..._ She thought to herself, as she sat down at the counter. She gave Ino a solemn stare, as her hand rested on the counter. _Am I really so desperate for advice that doesn't come from me, that I'd go to Ino-pig just out of reflex?_ She asked herself, trying to make sense of her situation.

"Hellooo, earth to Sakura!" Ino called out, snapping her fingers in front of Sakura's face. Causing the pinkette to blink out of her trance. Ino huffed as she put her hands on her hips. "Sheesh! First you give me that creepy stare, then you go into some trance! Just how exhausted are you?" The blonde asked, before setting down a mug of coffee for the pinkette.

Sakura looked down at the cup, before looking at Ino, waving her hand. "No no, I'm not that tired, and I couldn't intrude..." She started, before seeing the glare on her friend's face. "...But I think I'll take you up on the offer." She finished, taking a sip of the coffee.

Ino smirked as she grabbed herself a mug. "That's what I thought. 'I couldn't intrude' my ass, you always find some excuse to come barging in." She pointed out, satisfied to hear a groan of admittance from the pinkette. "You're lucky you showed up when you did, the shop doesn't open for 2 hours. Gives us plenty of time to talk." She explained, turning back to Sakura. She looked at Sakura's face for a moment, before taking another sip of her hot drink. "And before you try to squirm your way out of a conversation, those heavy eyes and that coat tell me you need to talk to someone." She concluded, watching Sakura hang her head.

Sakura nodded slowly, as her grip on the mug loosened a bit. "...Yeah, I do need to talk about it." She admitted, setting the mug down as a frown formed on her face.

Ino sat down in her seat, as she leaned against the counter. "Well, I'm all ears! Tell Dr. Yamanaka what is troubling you so? Is it Sasuke-kun again? Given the... Recent events, I'm sure that's what it is." She surmised, given previous conversations with the pinkette as well as her feelings for the boy.

Sakura shook her head, not looking at her best friend. "No... Well... Kinda? It somewhat involves him." She kind of answered, as she heard a sigh from the blonde.

"Well I can't help you if you don't tell me what the problem is, Forehead." She told her friend, as her eyes made her way to the jacket resting on the pinkette's lap. "That being said... Are you taking up Naruto's taste in clothes? Why are you carrying that bright orange thing?" She asked, curious as to why Sakura would be holding a jacket that looks disturbingly like Naruto's.

Sakura looked at Ino, shocking the blonde as all she saw were big green eyes filled with conflict. "It's Naruto's jacket... He gave it to me last night." She told the blonde, as her hand rested on the coat.

Ino blinked in confusion, as she tried to piece together what Sakura said. "Last night... Did he leave to go after Sasuke-kun again?!" She asked in shock, seeing the pinkette quickly shake her head no. "Then what happened?" She asked the woman in front of her, deciding not to jump to conclusions again.

Sakura sighed heavily, as she took a gulp of her coffee. "It would be easier if I explained everything..." She trailed off, seeing her friend give her a long, but attentive stare. Clearly, she was willing to listen.

"Eh?! Sasuke-kun rejected you?" Ino asked in shock, as she looked to the side. "Even after you poured your heart out like that... No wonder you were such a mess after he left..." She muttered, as she rubbed her chin.

 _Well, doesn't surprise me that she'd start with that._ Sakura thought, finishing the last of her coffee.

Ino's expression saddened as she looked down. "Then seeing Naruto in such a state... Girl, you've got a ton in you to still be okay after seeing something that horrifying..." She said, putting her hand on top of Sakura's. "I can't believe Sasuke-kun would do something so brutal to one of his teammates..." She muttered in disbelief, and it showed on her face. The wide eyes, the heavy frown, and the lack of color in her cheeks. This sounded nothing like the Sasuke she knew, or that she _thought_ she knew.

Sakura nodded, looking back at her mug. "Seeing it first hand... It makes you see him in a different light, you know?" She explained, looking over at Ino with a grimace. "After seeing Naruto go through such hell, only to be treated like garbage and nearly killed by our friend, our comrade... I don't know if I can look at Sasuke-kun like I used to..." She admitted, leaving herself surprised at how easily the words just slipped out of her mouth.

Ino looked at Sakura for a long while, before taking a deep breath and giving a smile. "I totally get it. He went too far, and did something unforgivable... Hard to be in love with a man who would toss away relationships so easily and with such little remorse." She summed up, giving Sakura's hand a slight squeeze. "I'm glad you were able to come to a conclusion with that." She told the pinkette, before letting go of her hand.

Sakura smiled in response, before looking down. "So, tell me what the real problem is." Ino told her, as the pinkette snapped her head back at the blonde. "You seriously think I'm that dumb? You came to a conclusion so easily, in spite of that look on your face. Plus, you said yourself that Sasuke-kun wasn't really the problem, AND that doesn't explain the jacket!" She pointed out, folding her arms all the while.

Sakura sighed heavily, cursing her friend's ability to see through people. _She's too perceptive for her own good._ Sakura thought to herself, as she leaned back in her chair. "Fine, I'll tell you..." She trailed off, taking in a deep breath. "It's about Naruto." She answered.

"Well I figured that much, you said that's his coat, plus you mentioned Naruto QUITE a lot during that 'Sasuke-kun' conversation. It sounded like it was more about the idiot than him." Ino pointed out, her arms still folded. She was starting to lose patience with her pink haired friend. "Come on, this is Naruto we're talking about, what about him could leave you in such a conflicted state?" She asked, watching the pinkette closely.

"He said he loves me." She responded, hearing nothing in response. She shook her head wildly, as she slammed her hand on the counter. "And that was after he tried to push me out of his life! Honestly that little idiot...!" She growled in frustration.

Ino stared at Sakura wide eyed, as her arms fell from their folded position. She then waved her hands in front of her face. "Hold on! Rewind! He WHAT?!" She asked in shock, inching closer to Sakura. "What do you mean he said he loves you?! And what's this about pushing you out of his life!" She asked hurriedly, the story starting to get juicy.

Sakura's eyes narrowed at her friend's eagerness. "When Naruto was recovering in the hospital, Tsunade-sama came to his room while I was visiting... She asked me why I went with Kakashi-sensei, despite her and his orders for me to stay. I told her that I wanted to see for myself if Naruto had stopped Sasuke-kun from leaving." She answered, as her hand that was resting on the counter balled up into a fist.

Ino's eagerness quickly died off as she looked to the side. "Jeez... Right in front of Naruto, too..." She pointed out, rubbing her arm all the while. "Didn't take it well, from the sounds of it." She concluded from Sakura's earlier statement.

Sakura nodded as she looked down at the coat. "He sent me away, and I didn't see him at all after that. It was only after he got released from the hospital, that I finally had the courage to go see him..." She trailed off, as silence filled the room. Ino's eyes widened as she saw something wet hit the counter. "...He wanted nothing to do with me...!" She choked out, as the tears forced their way out of her being. "I went there to apologize for everything I put him through... How I treated him when we were younger, how I so selfishly locked him into a promise that almost killed him! Instead, he tried to push me out of his life, insistent that I didn't care about him!" She cried out, before gritting her teeth. "It took me deciding to leave his life for him to realize the bullshit he was spewing!..." She choked out as she hunched over.

Ino stared at her friend in shock, not sure what to say as she stared in silence. "Sakura..." She muttered sadly. It wasn't often she saw her friend in such despair, and about Naruto of all people.

The pinkette bit her lower lip, as the tears built up further. "And then... He decided to confess his feelings right then and there!" She explained, looking at her bewildered friend with tears in her eyes. "And I broke down! Right in front of him I just collapsed into a mess of tears; calling him cruel and a liar!" She confessed, gritting her teeth as she looked down. Her feelings were pouring out of her like a rushing waterfall. If there was anything she wanted to hide, it would all be based on if she remembered to mention it or not. "How the hell was I supposed to respond to his confession? With how sudden it was? With how soon it was after he tried pushing me away? With how soon after I was heartbroken?!" She asked repeatedly, her pupils as small as dots. "I couldn't believe he was in love with me, I couldn't..." She trailed off, looking down as she trembled in silence.

Ino stared at her friend for a long while, before coughing lightly into her fist. "Well... Naruto's completely inappropriate behavior aside, what did you ultimately say to him?" She asked, not really sure how to handle Sakura's meltdown.

Sakura looked to the side, as she grabbed his coat. "I...I rejected him... I told him I couldn't accept his feelings, not like that..." She answered halfheartedly.

Ino's eyes narrowed as she saw through Sakura's hesitance. "Sakura. What else did you say?" She asked, almost demanded from the young woman.

Sakura looked away from her friend, not daring to answer her. She couldn't confess to it, she couldn't. "SAKURA!"

"I told him to confess to me again in a week, okay?!" She shouted, panting heavily as Ino stared at her.

Ino could only blink, while staring at her friend. "You did what?..." She asked with wide eyes, before rubbing her face with her hand. "Sakura...!" She trailed off.

The pinkette groaned as she buried her face into her hands. "I know! You don't have to say it! I messed up, and led him on!" She admitted, groaning sadly into her hands.

Ino nodded, as she put a hand on her hip. "You sure did, forehead. To think you've called me a shallow bitch, I think this takes the cake on whatever I've done." She rubbed in, as Sakura pouted angrily. "I'm joking, sheesh!" The blonde laughed nervously, while rubbing the back of her head.

Sakura's pout faded as she stared down at his jacket sadly. "Well it's true..." She trailed off, holding his jacket to her chest tightly. "After Sasuke-kun, I just... I just wanted to feel loved..." She trailed off, her lower lip quivering slightly.

Ino grimaced while staring at her heart broken friend. "Sakura..." She trailed off, sighing heavily. "If it means anything, I don't think you did it on purpose. If you did, you wouldn't be feeling this way." She pointed out.

 _ **Sounds familiar**_ Inner chimed in, only for Sakura to quickly ignore her.

Sakura looked at her friend, shaking her head. "But I used him... I gave him an excuse as to why I turned him down, and gave him a second chance that'll just lead him to getting hurt again..." She pointed out, feeling the guilt wash through her being.

Ino put her hands on Sakura's shoulders. "Girl, you were caught up in the moment. You felt horrible about rejecting him, and... A part of you wanted to return those feelings. So you got caught in the motions and made a promise you may not be able to keep... But that's fine!" She explained, trying to get the pinkette's spirits up.

Sakura looked at her friend in shock, as she put her hands on Ino's arms. "How is that fine?!" She asked in confusion.

Ino gave her friend a calm smile, as she hugged her. "Because you're human. You're gonna make mistakes, and you know what else? Feelings can change too." She explained, letting her go. "Maybe you'll end up falling for that dork during the week, or maybe you won't. Either way, you need to live with this decision, and accept that shit happens! You're FAR from perfect, and you're going to make mistakes." The blonde told her, seeing the pinkette roll her eyes in response.

"Gee, thanks." She thanked sarcastically, getting a laugh out of the blonde. "Seriously, though... Thanks..." She thanked her friend, giving her a tight hug. "And sorry for being such a pain..." She apologized to the blonde.

Ino smiled at her friend, before returning the hug. "Apology accepted, and you're welcome." She responded, before letting her go. "Just, try to keep the melodrama to a minimum from now on, okay?" She requested, getting a laugh for the first time that morning from her friend.

Sakura nodded, getting up from her chair. "I'll try my best." She told her friend, before looking at the clock. "Sheesh... Time flies fast. Almost time for you to open the store." She pointed out, before picking up the blonde's jacket.

She stepped toward the door, before looking back at Ino. "I don't want to keep you from your work because of my selfishness... Thanks again, Ino... For everything." She thanked her, a genuine smile forming on her face before she walked out of the store.

Ino waved her goodbye, before leaning against the counter. "That girl... She's gonna be the death of me someday." She told herself while smiling warmly. "Still... I'm glad that she's taken a new direction in life..."

Sakura was about to jump to the rooftops once again, before someone got in her way. "K-Kakashi-Sensei?" She asked, seeing the gray haired jounin standing in front of her.

Kakashi stared down at her, arms folded. "You're late." He pointed out, putting her hand on her shoulder and doing a hand sign. The two then appeared at the training grounds in a puff of smoke.

The pinkette coughed as she waved the smoke away from her face. "Warn me when you're about to use that!..." She trailed off, seeing Naruto in front of her. "Naruto?..." She asked, still holding his jacket. "Why're you here?... Also, Late for what?" She asked, looking at gray haired man in confusion.

Kakashi folded his arms, as he stared down at the young girl. "Naruto and you are going to have a sparring match." He told her, before pointing to the blonde across from her.

Sakura looked at the blonde who was simply staring at her, before looking back at Kakashi, blinking all the while.

"Eh?"

* * *

 **And done! Whew, I was in the zone with that one.**

 **I really like getting into the nitty gritty with Sakura's despair, it's so much fun!**

 **Anywho, see ya!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

 **So long bit at the beginning. For those who want a cosistent release of chapters, I don't think that's ever going to happen. Writing chapters all comes down to inspiration, and whether or not I can be assed to do it (Yeah I'm a lazy bastard lol). Mix in the fact that life and responsibilities are incredibly time consuming and it really just comes down to if I feel like it, when I get the inspiration to do it, and if I can make time for it (I'm writing this particular excerpt at 3 am btw).**

 **I can't promise more consistency, but I will try to make the sporadic nature of it not go to 2 months or more from this point on. (No promises if I can do that)**

* * *

"Well... Looks like that demon's healing is doing the trick." The young man pointed out to himself, as he looked at his arm. He stretched his hand out, opening and closing it several times as he closely examined his forearm and bicep. He grunted slightly as he made a fist, feeling an unnatural tightness form from his wrist to his shoulder.

 _Well... I shouldn't have expected it to be fully healed. It's almost there, though._ He thought to himself, rolling his shoulder slightly to give it the movement it needed. He was glad to be out of that sling anyways, he didn't like his movements being restricted like that. _Guess I'll have to fight with one arm... Not a big deal._ He concluded, deciding on his handicap now, rather than in the middle of the fight.

He took a deep breath as he laid back on the ground, sighing loudly as he stared up at the sky. "So where are they?! They're both late, and I'm itching for a fight!" He shouted in frustration, his impatience showing all to well as his face scrunched up in frustration. "Sensei was the one who allowed me to fight with Sakura-chan, and now they both decide not to show up... Better not be fighting without me..." He grumbled to himself as he dug his fingers into the ground, his annoyance slowly being replaced with bitterness.

He had been like this all morning, either his temper was short beyond reason, or he just felt... unhappy. He absolutely hated feeling any sort of emotions like this, all it did was remind him of how he felt before becoming a ninja. Of course, he knew the source of these negative emotions, which only made him feel worse.

 _Why did Sakura-chan say that?..._ He asked himself, as his face relaxed, showing a more somber look. He stared up sadly at the clouds above, shading him from the morning sun. _Why did she bother giving me a second chance to tell her how I feel?_ He asked again, digging his fingers into the dirt once more, as he tried to think through Sakura's words. It made no sense to the boy, why would she do something as silly as give him a week deadline to confess to her again? At face value it sounded like she was just pitying him, trying to let him down as easily and cruelly as possible. At face value, it seemed like she was just playing him...

 _Her reason for doing it, though... Her words, they felt so genuine..._ He thought to himself, his eyes squinting slightly at the sun peeking its way through the clouds. Her words felt genuine, they sounded genuine... But were they actually? The boy had no real way of knowing for sure, and it was so frustrating that it shook him to the core of his being. No one had ever made him feel this way before, and the fact that Sakura was the one to do it was the last thing he had ever expected. _I guess if there's anything to take from this... It's a new thing about her that I've discovered..._ He thought to himself, sighing a bit as he sat up.

The boy slapped his cheeks before getting up, knocking himself back into his senses. "Come on now, gotta stop running myself in circles over what Sakura-chan said..." He told himself, rubbing his still sore arm as he looked down. A slight grimace formed on his face, as his crystal blue orbs met with the ground. "She was just trying to be nice about letting me down, that's all... That's all it can be after how she reacted to my confession..." He convinced himself, as the grimace slowly turned into a sad smile in an attempt to swallow his bitter emotions.

"*Cough Cough* W-Warn me before you do that, Sensei!"

A voice choked out, before coughing some more. This new presence caused Naruto to look over, staring at the source of the voice. Her short pink hair swayed from the wind, while she waved the smoke away from her face. He saw her blink in confusion, before her orbs moved to meet his, her eyes opening more. "Naruto? Why're you here... Wait." She paused, before turning toward the man next to her. "Late for what?" She asked the masked man.

Kakashi pulled out his book, reading it while not looking at the pinkette. "Clearly you don't remember our conversation from yesterday... Today's going to be a training day, specifically a sparring match." He explained, before his eye met with Sakura's. "Your opponent is Naruto." He told her, turning the page on his perverted novel.

Sakura's eyebrow raised, while staring at their teacher. "Eh?" Was all the uttered, before turning to look at Naruto. She stared at him for a moment, before looking at Kakashi. "Why?" She asked him.

A surprised look showed on Kakashi's face, sighing a bit as he turned the page. "Because the both of you have been out of combat for 2 weeks, and I need to gauge where you stand. So a sparring match should be plenty suitable." He explained, seeing an unsatisfied stare from the pinkette.

The young woman shook her head, before folding her arms. "That's not what I meant, I meant why am I fighting Naruto, when he only was released from the hospital yesterday?" She asked, raising her voice slightly. "When I saw him yesterday, just bending over was enough to leave him in pain!" She told her teacher, irritation filling her features.

Kakashi stared at Sakura for a long minute, before looking back at Naruto. "He seems fine to me." He pointed out, causing Sakura to look with him.

The pinkette saw the boy stretch his body with little issue, in an attempt to warm up his muscles. The most notable thing to her was that his arm was no longer in a sling, causing her to stare at him with wide eyes. "H...How is that possible? I know he heals fast, but... It hasn't even been a day since I last saw him!" She exclaimed in confusion. How the hell did he go from barely being able to walk to _THIS_ so quickly? It didn't make any sense to her.

Kakashi looked back at the pinkette. "That hardly matters right now. What matters is that he's able to fight, right?" He asked the pinkette, clearly avoiding her question.

Sakura sighed heavily, before nodding. "Right..." She muttered, before looking back at Kakashi. "B-But still, I don't want to accidentally hurt him too badly... He may heal fast, but for all we know he could be barely held together right now..." She pointed out her concerns to her teacher, as the jounin sighed slightly.

"I see... So you're afraid you won't be able to spar with him, without running the risk of badly injuring him." He concluded, closing his eye as he closed his book. "Very well then. Sorry Naruto, guess you won't be sparring with her after all, even after requesting it." He apologized to the blonde, putting his book away.

This little tidbit made Sakura look toward the blonde with wide eyes, he asked to fight her? Why? Why did he want to fight her? _Is it because of what I said yesterday?_ She asked herself, as she began panicking inwardly _Oh God, did he take what I said badly?!_ She thought in a panic.

 _ **Doubt it. He probably just wanted to fight with you so he could vent his frustrations in a simple sparring match.**_ Inner pointed out to the pinkette, who could only inwardly sigh in response.

"So instead, you two will be fighting me at once." Kakashi told them, causing the two to look over at him suddenly.

Sakura sighed a bit, as she looked to the side. "Guess that makes sense... But why at the same time?" She asked the jounin, gripping Naruto's jacket a bit more.

The older man put his hands in his pockets as he looked over at the pinkette. "I figured if I'm going to gauge where you two are in combat ability, I should also gauge your teamwork." He explained, giving the two a heavy stare. "Sasuke is no longer here as the third member of your team, so I want to see how you two perform without him." He further explained to the two.

They both nodded in acceptance, as the pinkette bit her lower lip. "Yes, Sensei..." She responded, accepting his reasoning as she further tightened her grip on the jacket. There was silence after that, causing the pinkette to look up. She noticed the two staring at her, as beads of sweat ran down her forehead in nervousness. "W-What is it?" She asked them hesitantly.

Kakashi closed his eye, giving her an eye smile. "Well, I was simply waiting to see if you were going to give Naruto his jacket back before we would begin." The jounin explained to her, his eye opening to look at her once again.

Sakura's face immediately went from its normal pale color to a dark shade of red as she looked down. "R-Right, of course!... I-I was gonna do that..." She trailed off, completely forgetting that she had his coat the whole time. She walked over, and put the jacket in his hands. "Thanks for lending this to me..." She thanked him quietly, before walking back.

The blonde kept his eyes locked on the woman in front of her, his ocean blue orbs meeting her emerald green ones. "Well, let's get started." Kakashi chimed in, snapping Naruto out of his gaze. The blonde smacked his cheeks lightly, before putting his jacket on, and zipping it up.

The two took their stances, while staring down their teacher. All was quiet as the wind softly blew past the three, rustling the trees and bushes around the training field. During this silence the jounin pulled his book back out, and continued to read, purposefully putting his guard down for the two. As he read, his eye glanced at the two, reading their expressions and their stances.

 _Sakura's combat stance has improved. Good. Her confidence still needs work, though... I can see the uncertainty on her face._ He thought to himself, analyzing the pinkette as he turned a page in his book. His eye then lazily wandered toward the blonde, causing his eye to narrow. _I'm surprised by his patience... Normally he would have rushed me from the get go. That said... his stance is sloppy, full of openings. Also..._ He trailed off, his eye looking toward the blonde's left arm. _Ah, Sakura's worries were correct, he's clearly preferring his right arm in this stance..._ He concluded, his eye fully opening as the blonde disappeared from his sight.

 _And so we begin..._

"HAA!" Cried out the blonde as he went for a kick to Kakashi's side, only to be blocked by the jounin's knee. "I figured you would block that." The blonde pointed out, smirking as a clone jumped out of the bushes, throwing three kunai at the jounin. While still looking at his book, Kakashi pulled out and threw six shuriken, three of them deflected the kunai, while the other three hit the clone, undoing the jutsu. Despite Kakashi easily dealing with Naruto's tricks, the blonde's smirk never wavered as a second clone rushed out of the bushes.

 _Alright, now that he's focused on me, Sakura-chan can swoop in an..._ He trailed off, looking over to see Sakura still standing there, clearly unsure of what to do. Naruto's pupils shrunk as he stared at her. _W-What is she doing?!_ He thought to himself, looking back suddenly as Kakashi grabbed the blonde's shadow clone, throwing it into him. "Nngh!" He grunted in pain as he skidded along the ground, his clone disappearing in a puff of smoke. Rubbing the back of his head, he got back up, looking over at the pinkette. "Hey, you mind jumping in to help?!" The blonde called out to the pinkette.

Sakura started blinking, almost like she was knocked out of a trance as she looked at the blonde. "R-Right!" She called out, rushing toward their teacher. As she got close, she channeled chakra into her feet and vaulted over him. _Alright, once I get behind his back, I'll..._ She never finished her sentence as Kakashi suddenly turned, chopping her side and palm striking her stomach, knocking her away. "Guh!" Was all that could escape her lips as she landed, skidding along the ground on her back.

Kakashi stared down at the two, the frustrated blonde and the now coughing pinkette. It wasn't a surprise to him that losing Sasuke would hurt their team work, but he didn't realize just how... poorly these two worked together.

He watched as the two recovered, then looked at each other. Then, they both rushed in and suddenly split up, going opposite directions. Naruto started forming hand seals, as three shadow clones appeared next to him. Sakura created three clones, and pulled out two kunai. Naruto grabbed the back of one of his shadow clones, as it transformed into a giant shuriken.

Kakashi looked up, clearly anticipating their attacks. _They both relied heavily on Sasuke, for very different reasons... Thinking about it now, there hasn't been a single mission where those two had to work together. Sakura would always follow Sasuke's lead, and Naruto would be constantly competing with him. It's funny... These two are so alike, but are also so very different..._ He thought to himself, catching the two kunai in between his fingers that Sakura threw. He then hopped up, throwing the two kunai into the giant shuriken, forcing the clone back to its regular form, and disappearing.

The jounin looked to see the both of them rushing him amidst the attacks, catching their attacks. _Oh not again..._ The blonde thought to himself, as the jounin grabbed Sakura's arm and threw her into Naruto, sending the two flying into the ground.

Kakashi clapped his hands together. "I think that's enough for today." He told them, wiping the dust off of himself.

Naruto groaned as he laid on his back "My head and arm are killing me..." He muttered to himself, before looking down at the pinkette laying on his chest. His eyes opened fully as he stared at her, her face twisted in pain as her eyes were closed tightly.

 _Well, never thought this would happen, especially under these circumstances..._

"Oww... Sensei, did you have to be so rough?..." Sakura whined, as she rubbed her forehead. "I'm not a stone to thro..." Her complaints trailed off as she stared at the blonde wide eyed.

Kakashi laughed as he put his book away. "Well, I found an opening, so I took it." He explained, looking at the two. His eyebrow raised after he heard nothing in rebuttal from Sakura. "Um... Hello?" He called out, looking at the silent kids.

Sakura and Naruto's eyes were locked on each other, his blue orbs meeting her green orbs. They were so close, their noses were touching. Obviously, they'd never been so close to each other before, and it showed on their faces. Naruto's entire face was a dark red, and Sakura's was a bright magenta.

The pinkette's mouth slowly opened as her voice escaped her lips, making muttering noises as she stared at the blonde. "I...I...I...!" Her voice peaked as she raised her fist.

"IDIOT!"

Kakashi sighed as he watched the pinkette punch Naruto right in the cheek, before getting up and running away in a panic. He then walked over and looked at Naruto's now swollen face. "Need some ice, lady killer?" He asked the blonde.

Naruto stared at Kakashi in annoyance as he rubbed his cheek. "Real funny, Sensei..." He replied, sitting up as he flinched at the stinging pain. "Damn she got me good..." He muttered.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out, causing the blonde to look over at the pinkette, peeking out from behind a tree. "Um... Let me treat you to ramen tomorrow, okay?" She asked, her face still baring a faint pink hue.

The blonde blinked, while looking at her. "Uh... Sure, can't turn down free ramen." He accepted, while rubbing his cheek.

Sakura smiled as she stepped out from behind the tree. "Great! Well... See you tomorrow!" She waved goodbye, before running off.

Naruto shook his head as he closed his eyes. "I don't get it. First she hits me, then she wants to treat me to ramen? Girls are weird..." He complained, folding his arms as he scrunched up his face in confusion.

Kakashi laughed as he walked past the blonde. "You'll figure it out. Eventually." He told the boy, looking back at him. "You and Sakura rest a couple days, then I'll tell you two where you stand currently. Alright?" He instructed his student, who only gave a nod in confirmation. "Good, now I have a lot of my own work to do. Later." He bid farewell as he turned into a puff of smoke.

Naruto watched his Sensei leave, before groaning loudly as he laid on his back. "Girls are so confusing! I get why she was so flustered, I certainly wasn't expecting us to be that close... But why did she suddenly want to get food right after punching me?!" He shouted to himself, rubbing his face in irritation. "I don't get it!" He shouted to the skies, voicing his confusion.

Sakura heard the boy, as she walked out of the training field and toward the village. She put a hand to her chest, her eyes closing slightly. "I'm not so sure myself, Naruto..." She said quietly, as a blush spread across her cheeks.

* * *

The pinkette smacked her cheeks lightly, as she let out a groan. "Why am I so stupid...?" Sakura asked herself, as she sat in a quiet coffee shop. The orange glow of the late afternoon sun gave the store a calming atmosphere, for everyone except Sakura. "Not even six hours ago I was bitching about how I felt bad about lying to him to Ino. Now here I am, post asking the dork out!..." She quietly berated to herself, hating how she let her emotions get the better of her.

 ** _Hun, you were just reeling from how you two were just an inch away from kissing, AND you clearly felt bad about hitting him._** Her inner self pointed out.

Sakura leaned back in her chair, letting her hot drink cool down. _I guess... Still, I need to start actually planning what I do... I hate acting out of impulse like..._

 ** _Like Naruto?_** Inner interrupted, causing the pinkette's eyes to widen. **_That idiot may be... Well an idiot, but I think he's proven that sometimes trusting your instincts is the best thing to do. You of all people should know that._** She pointed out, sounding almost pleased that she was able to think of that.

Sakura stared down at her coffee, before taking a large gulp of it. She let out a breath of relief, as she looked out the window, watching as the sun went down. _You make a good point..._ She admitted to herself, taking another sip of her coffee. As she put her cup down, she stared down at the table. She pulled her forehead protector off and set it down on the table, allowing her bangs to fall over her eyes. She took a deep breath as she ran her hand through her hair, her thoughts going back to Naruto.

She just couldn't get him out of her mind. It hasn't just been these last couple days, it's been since he got back! She just couldn't stop thinking about him, no matter how hard she tried. Even when she was upset about Sasuke, Naruto would creep his way back into her mind, becoming the center of her thoughts. Was it love? Was it concern? Or was it just caring about him more than before? Or was it guilt over nearly getting him killed? She couldn't tell anymore, and running her mind in circles wasn't helping. _Well..._ _He already accepted the invite... Don't have much of a choice but to go along with it now._ She thought to herself, finishing her drink and setting the cup down.

 _ **Exactly, girl! Go with the flow, don't make it complicated!**_ Inner chimed in, clearly sounding happier than before. **_There's nothing wrong with just having fun. Have a good time with him._** Inner told herself.

As she stepped out, taking a deep breath of the fresh evening air. She then jumped up to the roof tops, gliding across them as a smile formed on her face. "I guess I should... Go with the flow, I mean." She agreed, picking up speed as her smile widened. "It has been a while since I really enjoyed myself, so why not?! Let's see what comes of it!" She said to herself, as a laugh filled with joy escaped her lips for the first time in a very long time.

"Maybe I can fall in love again!" She exclaimed, as she jumped into the darkening distance.

* * *

That update I posted at the top made me sound like a total stiff... At least, I think it did.

Anywho, Naruto and Sakura got their asses kicked! That sucks. But! there was some good to it!

Alright, time to write the next chapter... No fight this time, should be a lot easier!

Later!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

* * *

The moon glowed radiantly in the night, its glow peeking into the dimly lit office that overlooked the village below. In the office a desk chair creaked and leaned back as the woman sitting in it stretched her arms. "Uwaaa~! Finally I'm done...!" She said to herself, grunting in relief as she felt the muscles in her back and arms come back to life from her stretch. Just after, she opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a bottle of sake. Her pupils shrunk slightly in glee as her smile widened and drool ran from her mouth; surely a look that betrayed her striking features. "Now I can kick back and drink to my hearts' content~!" She gleefully told herself, pouring herself a dish of the rice wine and sipping it down.

"Puuha! That's the stuff!" She told herself, swiveling in her chair as she stared down at the village below. Her smile fell to a more somber look; as she watched the still busy streets below. She couldn't help but think about how she fell into this role almost too easily. It was all so bizarre to her; it felt like just yesterday she was exploring the world with Shizune, gambling and drinking whenever she possibly could. "It hasn't even been that long since I took up the position, but I feel like I've been at it for years..." She muttered to herself, sipping down another serving of the alcoholic beverage.

As she took another sip of her drink, her eyes glanced down to see a flash of blonde run through the lit up streets. "There he goes, the little brat..." She pointed out, smirking a bit as she set her dish down. "Guess I'd have him to thank for all of this... Damn kid's too stubborn for his own good." She commented, swiveling back in her chair to face the rest of her office; sighing loudly at the quiet room. "Still, he could be a little less of a pain in the ass! The amount of times I had to go to the hospital personally just so he wouldn't do anything rash while still injured was way to high!" She complained, pouring herself more sake and drinking it down. She let out a gruff sigh, before a smile laid on her features. "Still... Can't stay mad at the brat." She pointed out to herself, setting the dish back down.

*Knock Knock*

"You may enter." She told her visitor, as the door opened. "Ah, Kakashi. Good to see you." She greeted the masked man, who stepped in and closed the door behind him.

The gray haired jounin rubbed the back of his head, as he walked to her desk. "Good evening, Lady Hokage." He greeted back, giving a rather informal bow.

The pale blonde woman laughed as she looked at the man in front of her. "Kakashi, you may call me Lady Tsunade if you'd like." She offered, hoping to ease the man's nerves around her.

Kakashi sighed a bit in relief as he stood fully. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade." He thanked, closing his eye as he gave an eye smile to her.

Tsunade's smile faded as she looked at the man, while folding her arms on her desk. "So, you're here to give me a report, yes?" She asked, assuming that's why he was coming to see her.

The masked man nodded as he pulled out two files, and placed them on her desk. "I originally was only going to gauge their combat abilities, but due to last minute changes I decided it would be best to also gauge their team work." He explained, allowing her to read Naruto and Sakuras write ups.

The blonde read the files in front of her, as her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "I see... Thank you for bringing these to me, Kakashi." She thanked him, while resting her chin on her palm, using her arm as support. "Still, I'm not totally surprised by all of this... Especially Naruto's 'lack of communication and not understanding how to work with others'." She quoted, her eyes glancing back up at Kakashi. "Nice wording, by the way." She commented, holding the boy's file.

Kakashi folded his arms as his eye closed slightly. "It's because of his upbringing; he was always alone, so he always had to get things done on his own. He was starting to show progress... But I guess what happened with Sasuke has made him regress... Almost as though he's afraid to trust a comrade again." He commented, raising his concerns about the boy's well being.

Tsunade leaned back in her seat, staring down at Naruto's picture on the file. "Can you blame him? I read the report that you filled out about what happened, and I heard directly from Sakura in gruesome detail about what you saw... Sasuke didn't just beat him, he could have killed him, but he didn't... He tried to break him." She explained, her eyes narrowing as she grimaced. "I can relate to betrayal like that..." She muttered, her thoughts briefly drifting to the snake himself, Orochimaru.

Kakashi rubbed the bridge of his nose, while also staring down at the file. "I could talk to him about it... Unfortunately, all these years of bottling his negativity has made Naruto damn near impossible to talk to about heavier subjects. He always finds a way to get out of it." He pointed out, putting a hand on his hip. "All we can do is wait... See if he brings up these concerns on his own, or simply... Moves on from what happened." He proposed, hoping Tsunade would agree.

The blonde sighed a bit as she looked up at him. "Sadly, you're right. All we can do is hope for the best, and maybe Sakura can get through to him." She concluded, as she looked down at Sakura's file. "Speaking of Sakura..."

* * *

Day 2

*ACHOO!*

The sound shook the room as the pinkette awoke from her slumber, rubbing her nose lazily with her arm. "I hate sleeping in a cold room..." She muttered, getting out of bed and stretching her limbs. Her eyes wandered her way to the still broken air conditioner; her eyebrows furrowing as she huffed in annoyance. "I don't even have Naruto's coat this time to warm up...!" She whined, rubbing her hand through her messy pink locks, while walking to the bathroom.

As she closed the door to the bathroom, her eyes slowly opened more and more. "Wait... Huh? Why did I think of Naruto so soon after I woke up?" She asked herself as she turned on the faucet to her shower, watching water screech out of the showerhead.

 _ **Oh come now, did you seriously forget about what you said yesterday?**_ Inner asked, a huff escaping her non existent lips.

Sakura shook her head as she looked toward her bathroom mirror, dropping her shirt onto the floor. "I didn't. It's just... Wasn't expecting it was all." She explained halfheartedly, disrobing completely and stepping into the shower. A sigh escaped the girl's lips, as she began washing away the previous day.

 _ **Seriously? You think I'm gonna buy the 'Oh, I just wasn't expecting to think about him so soon!' crap?**_ Inner asked, kicking down and stepping all over Sakura's lie.

The pinkette looked up as she was washing her hair, as a slight look of annoyance showed on her face. "You already know what it is, why do you even bother asking?" She asked back, reminding her inner self that she was still a part of her.

 _ **Oh I know. I just want you to say it.**_ Inner replied, and if Sakura didn't know any better, she could've sworn Inner was smirking.

Sakura looked down, groaning all the while as she finished washing her body. "Fine...! I may have said that last night..." She trailed off, before leaning against the shower wall, and hugging herself. "...But I'm also kinda anxious..." She said quietly, before turning off the shower and stepping out.

After finishing drying up and getting dressed, she walked back into her room. She slipped on her shoes, before sitting back on her bed. "I mean... Why wouldn't I be? I've never been in love more than once..." She explained, getting up and walking toward her porch. She then blinked, before looking over at her desk; gazing at her forehead protector folded and resting neatly. She then took a deep breath, and opened the porch door; her eyes squinting at the sunlight in front of her. "Well... Guess I'll enjoy my day off before tonight." She told herself, before jumping off her porch.

 _ **So what you're saying is that you're going to be nervous all day, and not be able to really enjoy yourself at all?**_ Inner asked, attempting to translate Sakura's words.

 _N-No, that's not what I'm saying at all!_ Sakura responded, denying her inner self's words as she walked through town.

"...I hate it when I'm right..." She muttered as she stood near Ichiraku's, watching the sun go down. Her eyebrow twitched as she watched the sunset, as she thought back to the day up until that point.

 _I was aimlessly wandering around town for half of the day... Ino was too busy to talk to me, so I was stuck with nothing to do..._ She thought to herself, kicking the dirt beneath her. _So I went to the usual cafe and wouldn't you know it, I was so shaky from the thought of being on a date with that blonde idiot that I couldn't even properly relax!_ She mentally shouted in annoyance, sighing heavily as the sun fully set; veiling her in twilight.

The pinkette started tapping her foot in annoyance as she looked around, her patience starting to wear thin. "Not to mention... Naruto was supposed to be here by now, so where is he?..." She asked herself, agitation filling her voice.

 _ **Hopefully he's coming. He could've just decided not to at the last minute.**_ Inner chimed in, giving a very real possibility to the pink haired girl.

Sakura's face twisted into a grimace as she looked down, hoping she wasn't right again. The last thing her confidence needed was being stood up, and by Naruto of all people. "Come on, girl... Don't get yourself worked up." She told herself quietly, lightly smacking her cheeks. "He'll come... He has to..." She muttered in hope, while squeezing her arm nervously.

"Uhm, are you talking to yourself?" A voice asked, causing the pinkette to jump a bit, turning to face the source of the voice immediately. A laugh escaped the person as they gave her a grin. "Sheesh, didn't mean to scare you, Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed, laughing all the while.

Sakura folded her arms as an annoyed pout formed on her lips and her eyebrows furrowed in irritation. "You're lucky I didn't deck you for that one, Baka..." She pointed out, while tapping her foot. "Any particular reason why you're late?" She asked him, her fingers tapping her arms as impatience veiled her person.

Naruto raised an eyebrow as he looked at the irritated girl, all the while folding his arms behind his head. "Well, you never actually said _when_ you wanted to come here, you just said 'tomorrow'." He reminded her, seeing her irritation fade from her face, only to be replaced with confusion.

Sakura's arms fell while staring at the blonde. "I-I didn't say when to meet here?" She asked, surprised by her own lack of detail.

The blonde shook his head while looking over at the store. "Nope, so I've spent the day occasionally checking in to see if you were around. Guess I got lucky this time!" The blonde explained, as a cheeky grin formed on his whisker adorned face.

 _ **I guess his considerate nature counters your carelessness.**_ Inner remarked, making a jab at her own failure.

Sakura hung her head as she gave a light sigh. "S-Sorry... Guess I didn't think this all the way through." She apologized, looking back at the blonde.

The boy chuckled as he lowered his arms. "Don't worry about it, us hanging out is already enough of a foreign concept, can't blame you for forgetting a couple things." He responded, waving off the apology as he walked past her toward the ramen shop.

 _Well, he certainly knows how to hit the nail on the head..._ Sakura commented inwardly as she looked toward him, a frown forming on her features.

As she was about to step inside with him, she felt something... Off. She turned and started looking around, she could feel someone's gaze on her. Her eyes glanced around in every direction, but she couldn't see anything. _I could've sworn..._

"Sakura-chan, you gonna just stand out there?" The blonde asked, the pinkette turning to find him smiling at her.

Sakura shook her head in response as she walked in, as a man stepped out from around a corner. His being veiled in darkness as he watched the two walk back into the ramen booth. "Well, she's more aware of her surroundings than I expected." Kakashi commented, leaning against the wall and opening his book.

 _It may be disrespectful, but I need to know what exactly is going on between them..._ He thought to himself, staring at the building for a few moments before looking down at his book. _It's for the best._

The blonde sat down on his usual seat, his grin widening as he closed his eyes. "Oii, old man I'll have a large pork ramen!" He told the owner, his cheeky grin never wavering.

Teuchi looked over, laughing a bit as he saw the blonde. "Back again, huh? Alright, and what would the little miss like?" He asked the pinkette, causing her to look at him.

Sakura put a finger to her chin as she sat down at the booth; letting out a humming noise. "...I'll have the same?" She half asked, clearly not used to coming here.

"Wow, That's a gutsy move. Naruto-kun says a large pork ramen, but his definition of the word large is very different from what we actually serve." Ayame pointed out as she walked from the back.

Sakura laughed nervously as she looked at the woman, before hanging her head. "I-Is that so?..." She asked rhetorically, her diet plan effectively being thrown out the window.

 _ **Oh please, that diet was just starving yourself.**_ Inner pointed out, huffing all the while. _**Just enjoy it.**_ She ordered herself.

Sakura took a deep breath, before looking at Ayame with a smirk. "Well, bring it on! I'm sure I can handle... It..." She trailed off, her confidence wavering as the bowl was placed in front of her, visibly shaking the counter.

 _ **Oh... Uh... Good luck!**_ Inner cheered her on, uncertainty filling her voice.

"Aah! That was fantastic!" The blonde sighed happily as they walked through the streets, patting his now full belly. "Nothing like a bowl of ramen to make my night!" He commented, a toothy grin showing on his features. He then looked over at the pinkette. "Thanks for the meal, Sakura-chan!" He thanked her, hearing only a mumble in response. He blinked as he leaned over a bit to get a better look at her face. "Sakura-chan?" He called out again.

The pinkette had a hand over her mouth, and her face was paler than usual. "Urf..." She choked out, her eyes narrowing. "I regret eating all of that..." She finally spoke, regret filling her voice.

Naruto laughed as he folded his arms behind his head. "Alright then, wanna go find a place to sit? I doubt all this walking feels good on your belly." He offered, looking toward the park ahead of them.

Sakura couldn't retort, it was taking everything she had not to throw up. All she could do was nod in response as she followed him to the park.

After finding a bench the pinkette sat down, taking a deep breath. "Oh my god that feels so much better...!" She told him, relief washing over her features.

Naruto chuckled at her reaction to being able to sit down, before folding his arms behind his head. "Your face still looks really pale... Want anything to drink? There should be a vending machine around here." He offered once again, concerned that she was still feeling nauseous.

The young girl nodded as she pinched the bridge of her nose; shutting her eyes tightly. "Water would be amazing, thanks..." She requested, the relief leaving her almost immediately. She heard the blonde's footsteps get quieter and quieter, signaling that he wasn't within earshot of her. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked around; the park being softly lit by street lamps.

It was quite relaxing for her; the cool summer breeze, and the quiet from the lack of people around. It was nights like these that Sakura loved above all else, nights where she could stay there for hours in the quiet and simply appreciate it. It also gave her time to think.

 _I hope I didn't mess things up by getting nauseous..._ She thought to herself, chastising her own stubbornness. She really shouldn't have powered down that huge bowl of ramen.

 _ **Honestly I think your stubbornness is what saved this 'date'.**_ Inner responded, as the pinkette looked toward where the blonde was. _**Cause here's the thing... You two didn't talk at all when you were at Ichiraku. Not once. If you hadn't gotten sick from overeating, Naruto probably would've just left.**_ She explained to herself, as the pinkette let out a sigh.

 _Well... I guess making myself look like an idiot was worth it... If I actually end up talking to him, that is._ She told herself, watching the blonde come back.

The blonde smiled as he held up two cans. "Sorry about the wait. The water got jammed, so I had to get something else for you. Hope you like strawberry." He explained, holding the pink can toward her.

Sakura accepted the drink, opening it and taking a sip. "Good guess. And thank you." She thanked, sighing in relief at the cool drink.

"Blech..."

The pinkette blinked at the sudden noise as she looked over at the blonde. "Something wrong?" She asked, seeing the blonde cringing a bit.

Said blonde looked at her, before laughing nervously. "Huh? Oh, it's nothing!" He told her, laughing a bit as the pinkette raised an eyebrow at his antics.

 _Well he was cringing for some reason, what was... it..._ Her thoughts trailed off as she looked at the can he was drinking from. Black coffee.

"...Snrk..."

The blonde caught the noise as he looked at her. "Uh, Sakura-chan? You okay?" He asked, seeing the pinkette tremble in a hunched state.

This concern was blown away by a wave of laughter coming from Sakura, as she was covering her mouth. "D-Did you seriously get black coffee to try and look cool?!" She asked, her giggling breaking up her sentence.

The blonde pouted in response as he folded his arms. "...I don't have to answer that." He grumbled, before looking down at the can. "I just wish there was some sugar in it, it's so bitter!" He whined, pouting all the while. This only made the pinkette laugh even more, as she put a hand to her chest. The boy could only smile at her amusement, happy to see that she was enjoying herself.

The pinkette's laughter started to die down as she wiped her eyes from the building tears, giggles occasionally escaping her lips. "I-I'm sorry...! I shouldn't have laughed so much, but for some reason... It was just so funny!" She explained, catching her breath and giving him a wide smile.

Naruto could only chuckle in response, finishing his drink and crushing the can. "Hey, I'm glad I was able to make you feel better. You don't look nauseous anymore, too." He pointed out, before sitting next to her.

Sakura nodded, smiling as she put a hand on her chest; still catching her breath. "Yeah... Thank you." She thanked him, her face slightly flushed from her laughter.

After that, silence fell upon the two. The blonde had sat down next to her on the bench, and neither were looking at each other. It would have been awkward, had it not been for the peaceful and beautiful scenery in front of them. The park was gently a lit from lamps spread across it; all the while fireflies complimented the lights by dotting themselves all across the park.

"Breathtaking..."

The pinkette blinked, as she looked over to find the blonde staring at her. Her pupils slowly shrunk as her face started to grow red. "H-Huh?" Was all she could utter out, but it was all that was needed to snap Naruto back into reality.

The boy stammered as he realized what he said, before turning back to the park. "T-The scenery, I mean! Y-Yeah, suuuper pretty!" He stuttered out, clearly tripping over his words, and clearly full of shit.

The young girl chuckled silently as she looked back at the park. "Yeah... It really is." She responded, deciding to go along with his bad cover up.

 _Actually... Fuck it._ She thought to herself, as a shadow of a smirk appeared on her features. _I think I'm gonna investigate that little slip up..._ She thought to herself deviously, as her plan started to take form.

"But Naruto, how could you say the scenery is breathtaking?" She asked, causing the blonde to look over at her in confusion.

His eyes closed as his eyebrow raised. "Well... I mean it is." He answered, not really understanding why she asked him that.

Sakura folded her arms and crossed her legs, all the while staring at the blonde. "Can't really appreciate the beauty of this place, when up until now your eyes were glued to me." She pointed out, waiting to see his response.

The blonde immediately sat up straight from his relaxed position, his eyes wide as he began sweating bullets.

 _Bulls-eye_ _._

The pinkette leaned over, resting her elbows on her now crossed legs, and resting her chin on her hands as a alluring smile spread across her cheeks. "So tell me... Why did you say breathtaking?" She asked, taking notice of the blonde staring at more than just her face. All that meant to her, was that he had fallen right into her trap.

 _ **Oh this is fun. You need to do this more!**_ Inner pointed out, clearly enjoying herself.

Naruto, at this point, was as red as a tomato. Sakura was already gorgeous to him, and this only made it even more difficult for him to get a word in edge wise. "Y-Y-You know why, Sakura-chan..." He answered, hoping that would be enough. He wasn't surprised that it wasn't enough, but what did surprise him was what Sakura did next.

The pinkette put a hand down on the bench between them, and leaned in really close to the blonde. Naruto could feel her breath on his nose and cheeks as she looked deep into his eyes. "I want to hear it straight from you, Naruto..." She ordered, her voice veiled in sincerity and allure. "Tell me... Do you find me breathtaking?... Why do you?..." She asked him, her face slightly flushed as her stare never wavered.

Her last question caused the blonde's eyes to widen, knocking him back into his senses. He knew what she was up to, and he wasn't going to let his emotions get the better of him again. His eyes closed slightly as he gave her a surprisingly solemn stare, in spite of his flushed face.

"Not until the seventh day..." He answered calmly and quietly. He could see the pinkette's alluring stare crack and shatter to pieces, her eyes slowly widening as her smile faded to a frown as she slowly backed away from him.

 _I'm such an idiot..._ They both thought, as the blonde got up from the bench and the pinkette stared down at her legs, not daring to look at the boy in front of her.

Sakura's pupils were as tiny as dots as her mouth was left somewhat opened, she couldn't even believe not only how far she went, but also the things she started saying. _He must be furious... He probably thinks I was playing with his emotions again..._ She thought to herself grimly.

 _ **To be fair, you kinda were.**_ Inner pointed out, sighing a bit. _**You might want to work on your teasing skills. Mostly the words, you had the allure going perfect!**_ She added, trying to lighten Sakura's mood.

Sakura shut her mouth tightly as guilt washed over her being. She slowly looked up at the boy in front of her, who still had his back to her.

 _Naruto..._

"N-Naruto, I'm..."

"Four days..." He suddenly said, cutting the pinkette off as he looked back at her. A sheepish look formed on the blonde's face as he rubbed the back of his head. "The summer festival's in four days... Wanna go together?" He asked her, not looking her in the eye.

Sakura stared at the blonde with big eyes, not expecting him to ask her out. _Maybe he just wants to move past what just happened..._ She concluded, before smiling softly. "Sure... That sounds great." She answered, accepting his invitation as she got up from the bench.

She looked up at the stars, taking in a deep breath. "Well... I should be getting home... Don't want to be out all night, ya know?" She asked rhetorically, giving the blonde a small smile.

The blonde nodded, before giving a toothy grin. "Alright, run on home now!" He exclaimed, rubbing her head and laughing all the while.

The pinkette grunted as she furrowed her eyebrows. "H-Hey, stop it! You're messing up my hair!" She told him, pulling his hand off her head; her hair was quite ruffled as she gave the blonde an angry pout. "You're lucky I'm going home, otherwise you'd be one foot in the grave..." She warned him, as she cracked her knuckles.

Naruto felt a chill run down his spine as he laughed nervously. "G-Guess touching hair is a no go..." He uttered, his voice cracking a bit in fear.

Sakura huffed as she put her hands on her hips. "You got that right." She told him, before turning away. "Anyways... I'm leaving now, good night, Baka." She told him, bidding her farewell to the blonde.

"G'night, Sakura-chan." He responded, waving to her as she walked off into the darkness.

Once he could no longer feel her presence, he took a long and deep breath. "You can come out now, Sensei..." He told his teacher, looking at nothing in particular as the jounin appeared behind him.

Kakashi walked over to the blonde, while closing his book. "I'm surprised you knew I was here, Naruto. Your observation has improved greatly." He complimented the boy, who turned to look at his teacher.

The boy could only frown as he stared at the man in front of him. "Why were you spying on us?" He asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

The gray haired man shook his head, before walking past the boy. "I wanted to make sure everything was okay between the two of you. Neither of you have been yourselves since you were recovered, and now I see why." He explained, before looking back at the boy. "So now I need you to tell me... What are you hiding from Sakura?" He asked the blonde behind him.

The blonde's eyes were hidden in shadow, as the wind began to pick up and rustle the trees around them. His fists could only tighten, as he finally started to tell his teacher the truth. His words were deafened to any possible passersby by the wind, leaving only his teacher with the truth.

* * *

Eyyyyyyy. Been a while.

So yeah, life be busy! Finally found the opportunity and the desire to right the rest of this chapter. And yes, I did say rest. 75% of this chapter was finished in April.

Anywho, the date seemingly went well. But there's something yet to be seen, and only Kakashi knows what exactly is going on! Who knows what'll happen?!

Later.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

Day 3

Sakura lightly slapped her cheeks as she walked through the streets, not caring about the weird stares she was getting. She had to shake off her exhaustion. Well, more like mental exhaustion, and only two people could ever cause such her to be in such a state.

 _Of course Mother and Ino would gang up on me... They always do!_ She thought to herself, before letting out a yawn. _At least I was able to get away before it got worse..._

 _"He WHAT?!" Shrieked a young woman, while squeezing the life out of one of Sakura's pillows._

 _The pinkette rubbed her ear as her face noticeably scrunched up in irritation. "Ino, even though we're not at your house, that doesn't give you an excuse to screech your piggy lungs out." She remarked, before getting her shoulders grabbed by the platinum blonde haired girl._

 _The young girl hung her head as she started laughing quietly, before giving the girl in front of her a devious grin. "Oh you're not getting out of this with an insult, forehead!" She shouted as she started shaking the life out of her best friend. "Details, dammit! I need DETAILS!" Ino demanded, only increasing the speed of her violent shaking._

 _Sakura gritted her teeth as her vision was distorted from being thrown around in every direction; she always hated Ino's addiction to gossip or any story she deemed 'juicy'. "S-S-S-Stop s-s-shaking me then!" She shakily shouted in response, as the room around her started to spin._

 _'Urf... I'm gonna be sick...' She thought to herself, getting dizzier by the second._

 _Just as the shaking started to slow down, Sakura's door slammed open, revealing an older woman with blonde hair. "WHAT IS ALL THAT NOISE?!" The woman asked loudly, before seeing the two girls sitting on the floor. "Oh, hello Ino." She greeted the young girl, now knowing the source._

 _Ino gave a cheeky grin toward the older woman, as she let go of Sakura's shoulders. "Hi Mrs. Haruno!" She greeted Sakura's mother, before looking back at Sakura. "Sorry about the noise, just trying to wrestle some information out of your daughter." She explained, her grin turning into a smirk._

 _Sakura felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at her mother, then looked towards Ino. She could see what her friend was plotting, and it was nothing good._

 _'Ino... You better not get Mom involved!' She inwardly shouted, hoping that Ino would somehow hear her._

 _"Oh? What kind of information would she hide from you?" The older woman asked while leaning against the door frame; deciding to stick around out of curiosity._

 _Ino's eyes shone in devious glee, as everything fell right into place. "Sakura's going on a date!" She explained, not even bothering to hide her excitement._

 _'Shit.' Was the only thought that could get through Sakura's head before her mother walked in, closing the door behind her and sitting on Sakura's bed._

 _Resting her hands on the bed, Mebuki stared down at the two in silence. This silence broke when her eyes met with Sakura's. "Go on, Sakura. Tell us more about this date." She ordered, a calm smile spreading across her cheeks._

 _Sakura could tell she wasn't getting out of this without explaining everything, so she did. She told them all the 'necessary details' and what she got was the expected reaction. "So you finally accepted that kid's advances?" Mebuki asked, as her smile remained ever present._

 _The pinkette hung her head before nodding slowly, causing Ino to look at the two of them in confusion. "Finally? W-Wait, how many times has Naruto asked you out?" The blonde asked, not liking being out of the loop one bit._

 _The older blonde chuckled as she rested her arms on her lap. "Twenty times total, nineteen rejections from Sakura here. Then after every rejection she would come home and complain to me about it being 'a pain in the ass'." She explained to the pinkette's best friend._

 _Sakura's face immediately grew red as she turned toward her mother. "M-MOM! You don't just tell people that!" She shouted, embarrassment written all over her face._

 _Ino looked over at the pinkette, giving her a long stare as she processed this new information. "Wow, how did he not give up on you? Also, TWENTY TIMES?! I knew this wasn't the first time he's asked you out, but seriously?!" She shouted, scooching in real close to Sakura as a disgruntled look formed on her face. "You really need to stop hiding this stuff from me..." She warned her, REALLY not liking being out of the loop._

 _Sakura inched back a bit, before standing up completely. "LET ME EXPLAIN, OKAY?!" She shouted in irritation, before panting heavily. Seeing that the two were allowing her to actually get a word in edge wise, she cleared her throat before talking. "Most of those times that he asked me out weren't really 'asking me out', ya know?" She asked rhetorically, before rubbing her arm. "I know how much he liked competing with Sasuke-kun back then. Nearly all of them I knew were him making some shitty attempt at trying to get one over on Sasuke-kun, rather than seriously trying to go on a date with me." She explained, taking a deep breath as she sat back down._

 _The pinkette looked over at her mom, before looking over at Ino. "What Mom failed to mention was that when I complained about him, it was because I knew he was acting like a little kid about it. Trying to make it into a competition, a game. Ignoring my feelings completely." She clarified, all the while fiddling with the carpet threads._

 _Ino rolled her eyes while folding her arms; clearly not liking her explanation. "Please! You're acting like you're completely innocent here, when you and I both know you would've rejected him on the spot rather harshly if he WAS being serious! Back then, I should say." She counter-explained, smirking all the while._

 _Sakura's eyes narrowed as a vein began to bulge on her temple. "I did say 'most of those times', didn't I?..." She asked, as anger coated her now raspy voice._

 _The growing tension between the two was then cut off by a loud clap, the sound coming from Mebuki as she stood up from the bed. "Alright, simmer down you two. The last thing I need is another scream-fest in my house." She told them, breaking up the fight as a grin formed on her aging face._

 _Ino sighed heavily before getting up, and bowing toward Mebuki. "Sorry, Mrs. Haruno. Got a little carried away..." She apologized, feeling a bit embarrassed. "However..." She trailed off, standing up fully and looking toward the pinkette. "I won't take back what I said." She told her, as her hands rested on her hips. "It wasn't that long ago that you were complaining to me about how stupid and annoying Naruto can be. Less than a month, in fact." She pointed out, smirking all the while. "Also considering how all over the place you've been these last couple days, it's pretty ballsy that you're acting so put together right now. Even though you're clearly still freaking out in that large forehead of yours." She taunted, before poking Sakura's forehead._

 _Sakura glared at the blonde, as an angry pout formed on her face. "You better make your point quick, Piggy..." She warned, as the sound of cracking knuckles started coming from her fists._

 _Ino laughed as she kept her finger on the pinkette's forehead, smiling all the while. "My point is that you shouldn't act all innocent about how things went down in the past. Also... Stop acting like Naruto's still chasing after you." She told Sakura, pushing her back a bit with her finger._

 _Sakura rubbed her forehead, all the while staring at Ino with confused eyes. "Huh? What do you mean?" She asked, not getting what Ino was telling her._

 _Ino shook her head, taking in a deep breath before grinning widely at the girl in front of her. "You, are chasing after him." She told Sakura, as a giggle escaped her lips._

 _Sakura's confused stare turned into one of shock as her face started to turn a faint pink. "W-WHAT?! No I'm not!" She shouted in defense, with Ino only laughing in response._

 _Ino pointed at the pinkette once again, as a smirk formed on her face. "Bullshit! I mean you were keeping tabs on him in the hospital, went to his house, went out on a 'not date' and even flirted with him on that 'not date'! What's next? Spying on him at home?" She asked rhetorically, pointing out all the little things Sakura's been doing the last few days. A teasing look formed on her face as she covered her mouth with her hand. "I bet you even think about sleeping in his coat~" She teased, all while letting out a perverted laugh._

 _Sakura's face started to completely turn pink as she began fuming at her best friend. "OF COURSE NO-"_

 _"Hmmmm, well the other day I did find Sakura sleeping with a bright orange coat on. She looked rather happy as well, snuggling up to it and all." Mebuki chimed in, dealing a lethal blow to her daughter's defense._

 _Silence filled the room, but only for a moment. "Eh?" Ino uttered as she looked at the pinkette, who was now looking straight down at the floor. A wide, cheshire grin spread on the blonde's face as she waltzed over to her friend. "Sakura~" She called out, seeing the pinkette's completely red face. "Was it warm?" She asked, giving her friend a toothy grin._

 _Sakura shut her eyes tightly as she let out a mortified yell, before stomping out of her room._

 _"YOU TWO ARE THE WORST!"_

The pinkette grabbed her head in embarrassment, mentally screaming as she thought back to that exchange. Ino always knew how to get to her, but with her own Mother? Those two made for a terrible team that she couldn't hope to face up against. "Well... At least now I don't have to deal with it, Ino's working a double shift today AND tomorrow." She told herself, as a smirk showed on her features.

 _ **Well she was mostly doing that stuff to tease you. Karma's a bitch~**_ Inner chimed in, as the pinkette walked past the park. Said pinkette laughed a bit into her hand as she allowed herself this moment of victory.

"S-Sakura?" This made the pinkette stop in her tracks and look around, swearing she heard a very quiet and shaky voice.

 _Weird... Could've sworn I heard someone say my na-_

"S-Sakura...!" The voice spoke out again, still shaky but now a little bit louder as Sakura turned to face the source of the voice.

Sakura smiled a bit at the person as she walked over to them. "Hinata? What're you doing here?" She asked, finding the raven haired girl sitting under a tree.

Hinata looked down, picking up a flower and holding it in her hands. "I-It's my day off, and this park always has really pretty flowers... S-So I like coming here..." She explained, before looking back up at the pinkette.

Sakura sat down next to the girl, looking down at said flowers. "I see what you mean, they look great!" She commented, smiling brightly at the Hyuga. "I bet they'd look great in Ino's shop." She pointed out, before leaning back against the tree trunk. Her face then fell into a playful one as a smirk spread across her cheeks. "Although, I think they'd be better off here, Ino'd just stink them up." She said, sticking out a tongue at nothing really as she made fun of her friend.

Hinata laughed a little, clearly not getting it, but enjoying Sakura's fun nonetheless. She then looked down at the flower in her hand, fiddling with the stem as she occasionally glanced at the pink haired girl next to her. "S-So... How's N-Naruto-kun doing?" She asked, not fully facing the girl next to her.

Sakura stared up at the clouds, folding her arms behind her head as she rested against the tree trunk. "Naruto? He's doing fine. He's recovered from his injuries, and he's started training again." She told the raven haired girl, leaving out the more personal stuff.

"O-Oh, that's good to hear...!" Said a now relieved sounding Hinata, causing Sakura to look over at the Hyuga. A small smile showed on Hinata's face as she kept looking at the flower. "I'm glad that he's still chasing after his dream..." She said surprisingly clearly, as a slight blush appeared on her features.

Sakura watched the girl the whole time, her eyes fully opening at the sight. Her sight then made it's way to the grass in front of them as her eyes closed somewhat, as a knowing look showed on her face. _Ah... So that's what's going on with her._ She thought knowingly, before looking back up at the clouds. _She always acted stranger than usual around Naruto, now I see why._ She concluded, before getting up.

 _ **You don't sound very surprised.**_ Inner pointed out, noticing how calm Sakura was.

Sakura looked down at Hinata, before shrugging. _Should I be? I mean if you think about it, it's pretty obvious._ She explained to herself, before looking back up at the clouds.

 _ **But it won't stop you from worrying.**_ Inner reminded her.

Right as she did, Sakura felt a pang in her chest. The worry weighed down on her, as the idea of 'who's more deserving' ran through her the depths of her mind. _Oh come on... Why am I worrying?..._ She asked herself, despite knowing the answer, grimacing all the while.

The raven haired girl saw Sakura tense up, causing her to get up. "S-Sakura, are you okay?" She asked the pinkette before her.

"How long have you liked Naruto?" Sakura asked suddenly, hearing an audible gasp from the Hyuga behind her. She looked back and saw a look of surprise on Hinata's face, which only made Sakura smile sadly. "Shit... Clearly long enough that you thought it was the perfect secret... One that could never get out, unless you allowed it to..." She pointed out, watching the Hyuga look down and nod silently.

The pinkette turned back to the Hyuga, looking at her with a small smile. "What do you like about him?" She asked, making the raven haired girl look up at her again.

Hinata brought her hands close to her chest, her eyes shifting everywhere as she tried to pull all her thoughts together, before focusing on Sakura's eyes. "Everything." She stated, as she clasped her hands together. "His dedication to his dream, to be a person of strength and security for those around him. How he makes you feel safe... How he makes you feel important... How he makes you feel strong... His kindness... There isn't a thing about him I dislike." She explained somewhat clearly, as a faint blush formed on her cheeks.

Sakura bit her lip as she turned away from Hinata, as her emotions started to turn sour. What used to be worry, was no longer. All she could feel... Was envy. She was envious of Hinata's feelings, envious of how strong they were, envious of how faithful they were and how long she had them. Hinata's feelings made her hate her own. They felt cheap, uncertain, and second-rate by comparison.

Sakura laughed bitterly as she hung her head, her back facing the Hyuga. "Gotta say... I wish I had that... Feelings that you carry for years, only growing moreso..." She commented, looking back at Hinata with a pained smile. "I wish I cared for him as much as you do..." She told Hinata, venting her envy.

Hinata looked at Sakura in surprise, before taking a step forward. "W-Wait, what do you mean? A-Are you comparing your feelings for Sasuke-kun with my feelings for Naruto-kun?" She asked in confusion, partly hoping she was right.

Sakura sighed heavily, before walking away. "No. Because I don't like Sasuke-kun anymore." She told her, leaving the stunned Hyuga behind.

* * *

The pinkette kept walking, staring down at the road as a mixture of emotions showed on her face. None of them good. A sad pout, with eyes filled with regret.

Why did she have to confront Hinata like that? She was just being honest. It wasn't the Hyuga's fault that a part of her was starting to think of Naruto as more than just a friend.

She thought she had left all her pettiness back in the academy, back when she liked Sasuke. Clearly, she was wrong. There was still a little bit of that negativity bottled up in her, and she just took it out on one of the kindest and purest girls she had ever met.

 _ **Jealousy isn't an easy thing to shake off**_ Inner pointed out, hearing a tired scoff from Sakura.

 _I'm aware. I sounded like a total jerk..._ Sakura thought bitterly, chastising her behavior. _I don't even know why I'm jealous... Hinata's feelings are her own. I only just started fathoming the idea of seeing Naruto in a romantic light, I'm in no position to be jealous of her..._ Sakura thought further, as her confidence continued to shrink.

She hugged her arms as a grimace formed on her face, her eyes filled with sadness. _He deserves a girl like her... He shouldn't love me..._ She thought to herself, as she spiraled further down into her guilt and sorrow.

 _ **Hey! Don't think like that... You know that's not how love works, girl. It's not about who's more worthy, it's about who you are, if you like one another, and if you think you can make it work.**_ Inner reminded herself, hoping to snap Sakura out of her little funk.

Sakura nodded slowly, before blinking suddenly at her location. Team 7's training field. She had been so caught up in her own thoughts she didn't even realize she had walked all the way there. _Time flies when you pent up with self loathing..._ She thought to herself, as she stepped into the training field, looking around aimlessly.

"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!... D-Dammit...!" A voice shouted, the pinkette immediately recognizing who it was.

 _Naruto?_ She asked internally as she walked forward, finding him across the river near a boulder.

"Come on... One more time..." Choked out the blonde, as he brought his hands together. "Shadow clone jutsu!" He shouted, as a clone appeared next to him.

He put his hand down as the clone started gathering chakra into his palm, creating the blue swirl of destructive energy. He then ran at the boulder, throwing his hand out. "RASENGAN!" He shouted, but before he could reach the boulder, he felt his arm jolt in pain. "Ggh!" He grunted, the energy vanishing as he slammed face first into the boulder.

Sakura flinched at the failed attempt to use the technique, and watched as the blonde cursed out his arm.

Naruto sat down on the ground as he grabbed his arm and looked down at it. "Come on... You can't even handle one attack?" He asked his arm, frustration and sadness filling his voice.

Sakura stared at the blonde sadly, before walking over towards him.

 _ **Oh? What're you planning to do?**_ Inner asked herself.

Sakura shook her head as she hopped over the river. _I'm going to cheer him up, and help him out a bit._ She explained to herself.

She walked up to the blonde, looking down at him. "...Doing alright?" She asked, the blonde only looking down at the ground in response.

After a moment of silence, he finally uttered a: "...No..." He admitted, letting his arm fall to his side. Sakura crouched down next to him, seeing the frustrated pout on the boy's face.

A calm smile formed on her lips, as she looked at him. "Want some help?" She asked him, staring into his blue eyes.

Naruto looked over at her, his eyes softening somewhat as he stared into her eyes. He finally nodded in response. "...Yes please." He responded quietly, offering his arm to the pinkette.

She grabbed his arm and started to feel his forearm and bicep. She had gotten used to massaging her muscles after her mom showed her how to do it, helping her through many grueling training sessions. She put a bit of pressure as she glided her hand along his arm. "Jeez, Naruto... You're muscles aren't in great shape..." She told him.

Naruto grimaced as he looked down. "They aren't that ba- ACK!" He cried out as Sakura put more pressure on his arm to get the point across. He then looked over at her, a pained tear showing in his eye. "...Okay fine, my arm has been sore and stiff for a while now..." He admitted.

Sakura nodded as she began massaging his forearm, gently kneading her thumb into his muscles. "I'll do what I can, but you should really go see Lady Tsunade about further healing for your arm." She suggested, not looking up at the boy.

Naruto shook his head, before looking down. "Not gonna bother... If it isn't fully healed now, then it won't ever be." He told her, getting a very confused look from the girl.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sakura asked, not really understanding why Naruto would say that.

The blonde blinked, then looked away, laughing somewhat as he rubbed the back of his head. "Oh ya know... I heal like, wicked fast! If I haven't fully healed by now, it's probably something permanent, ya know?" He suggested, looking back only to find an extremely concerned girl staring at him.

Sakura stared at the blonde sadly, still massaging his forearm and slowly making her way to his bicep. "Naruto... I hate seeing you hurt like this, please go see Lady Tsunade..." She requested, as she took hold of his hand with the hand that wasn't massaging his arm.

Naruto's eyes filled with surprise at her concern and now holding his hand in worry, causing him to nod slowly. "I'll... I'll think about it." He told her, before smiling a bit. "Let's wait to see if your massage does the trick, it might just need loosening up!" He tried to reassure her, his smile widening.

Sakura laughed a bit, as she started massaging his bicep. "Well, let me know when it starts to hurt, then I'll ease up or stop." She told him, now focusing on massaging the muscles in his arm.

Minutes passed, a calm breeze making its way through the field, moving the warm summer air around the two teenagers. Silence was the only thing shared between the two, but it surprisingly didn't feel awkward to them. It was nice, comforting just to be in each other's presence.

Naruto gazed down at the pink haired girl as she massaged his arm's sore muscles. only occasionally would he wince, signifying to the girl that she'd have to massage that spot differently. _This girl definitely keeps surprising me..._ He thought to himself, all while maintaining his stare. _What she said... Her words weren't like that first night that she came to my house... There was so much care in her voice..._ He pointed out.

"Hey... I have a question." She told him, knocking the blonde out of his thoughts. She looked over at the boulder, then at him. "How is it that you know the shadow clone technique?" She asked, before looking back down at his arm "I know Kakashi-Sensei knows it, but you knew it before he even became our teacher." Sakura pointed out, gliding her thumbs on his arm.

Naruto looked down, taking in a deep breath as he thought back to the rather unpleasant memory. "It was the only way I could become a ninja." He explained, before looking over at the same boulder Sakura glanced at. "As you're very aware, I can't do the clone jutsu. For some reason my chakra just wouldn't properly form the clones from that technique. No matter how much I practiced I couldn't do it. Even now I can't do it." He continued, before taking a long breath. "Then Mitsuki-sensei told me there was one technique I could learn that would help me pass for sure. The catch was... It was in the scroll of forbidden seals." He explained.

Sakura stopped her massaging for just a moment, before continuing. "...I've never heard of it." She told him, though from the sounds of it, it wasn't something she was supposed to know about.

Naruto laughed a bit as he looked down. "I'm not surprised you haven't. I only found out about it thanks to Mizuki-sensei. When I stole it, it seemed like it was information that only Chunin and above knew about." He explained.

Sakura grimaced a bit at his words. "...So Mizuki-Sensei tricked you into stealing a forbidden scroll." She concluded, digging her thumbs into his arm a bit.

Naruto winced a bit at her actions, then nodded. "He did. However, he didn't exactly tell me what technique I needed to learn from the scroll to pass. Makes sense, since his objective was just to get the thing... However, I did find one technique that was familiar enough to learn. The multiple shadow clone jutsu." He explained, causing Sakura to look at him in confusion.

"Wait... Multiple? Is that the full name or something?" She asked in confusion, only to see Naruto shake his head.

Naruto laughed a bit as he rubbed the back of his head. "Turns out, according to Kakashi-sensei, I learned a VERY dangerous version of the shadow clone jutsu. According to him, the normal technique is just supposed to have you make one or two shadow clones, much like the clone jutsu. The multiple version lets you create as many as your chakra can withstand." He told her, smiling a bit.

Sakura sighed heavily as she looked back down at his hand. "Only you would succeed at the risky and difficult jutsus, and fail miserably at the easy ones... Doesn't surprise me that one was sealed away, all things considered. You could make an army with enough chakra. Or it could kill you from sapping up too much chakra." She surmised, squeezing his arm a bit.

Naruto jumped a bit at her action, cringing a bit. "S-Sakura-chan! That's too much pressure...!" He whined.

Sakura looked up at him, frowning a bit. "That's what you get for stealing... Even if it did lead you to becoming a ninja, and getting Mizuki-sensei arrested..." She chastised him.

She then smiled a bit. "Although, without doing that, we never would've been on the same team. So I'll let it slide." She told him, letting go of his arm. "And I'm done. Wasn't expecting a history lesson from you of all people, but it was kinda fun listening to how you became a ninja. Very unorthodox, and so totally you." She told him, smiling more.

Naruto rolled his arm, giving her a toothy grin. "Think so? Thanks!" He thanked her as he kept inspecting his arm. He then stood up, throwing a couple test jabs. His eyes lit up, before looking down at her. "Hey, you fixed it! My arm feels great! Sore in some spots, but I can actually use it!" He told her, his face lighting up.

Sakura stood up, putting her hands on her hips. "Well I'm glad I was able to help you out." She told him.

Naruto walked over, hugging the girl. "Thanks so much, Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed, clearly in a much better mood.

Sakura looked at the blonde, surprise plastered all over her face as it grew several shades redder. "D-Don't mention it, dummy..." She told him, looking to the side.

Naruto backed off, grinning as he summoned a shadow clone. "Alright, one last time, with Sakura-chan's magic touch!" He exclaimed, charging a rasengan and not noticing Sakura's darkening blush. He then rushed forward.

"RASENGAN!" He shouted, this time he felt no pain as the technique maintained. He shoved the orb into the boulder, pulverizing it until the technique dissipated. He then looked back at Sakura, grinning. "Thanks again, Sakura-chan." He thanked her, rubbing his hand after using the technique.

Sakura kept smiling, despite a darker feeling rising up to the surface.

"You're welcome, Naruto."

 _Stop thanking me... It wasn't that amazing or anything... I don't deserve it... compared to what you've done for me..._

 **It was nothing...**

* * *

Oh hi.

Well hell, one year exactly since the last chapter. You're probably wondering what happened. LIFE!

Seriously my personal life got BUSY, then not busy, but I was still dealing with personal shit so it got in the way. THEN when I felt like writing, I couldn't figure out where to go with it.

But I think I got a handle on it now. It just took me a year to realize that these two have never just TALKED before, and that Sakura doesn't know much about Naruto's past. So we're going to have more of them talking. YAY

Bye


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